Turning His Heart
by FinalFate
Summary: SasuSaku Sakura finds Sasuke, and almost convinces him to come back. He vows to return after he kills Itachi. However, Naruto and Sai turn up to kill him under extraordinary circumstances. How will Sakura fair in her battle again Karin? How will Sasuke?
1. Turning His heart

'Turning His Heart...'

**A/N:** Read and Review! I hope you enjoy it and that you enjoy the story. Just a random story I decided to write out of boredom.

**Beware! There are spoilers of the Manga and Naruto Shippuuden!!**

**Summary: **Sasuke fights Sakura and later on, he thinks back, goes after her and realizes a fate that includes both of them. Perhaps there is a reason for him to go to her?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, _not _me! However, the plot is mine!

--

Uchiha Sasuke sat leaning against a wall in the fortress he shared with team Snake. He was watching the sky.

The huge yellow sun was falling victim to the Earth's rotation, making it defeatingly fall behind it's surface, the sky lit up with reds, oranges, yellows, and the other god-like colors of the sunset. It all seemed like the fate of a day of a broken heart.

Sasuke had seen a girl he'd never seen before, and her name was different than any other name in his past. She was in his heart, but not in the way she desired.

Sasuke knew of Haruno Sakura and her starving love for him, but he didn't feel the same way. He told himself that over and over again that night trying to forget the fight he was just in and the same pink haired teammate he hadn't seen in almost three years.

She had called out his name softly, her lips brushing against one another swiftly. He had shown no emotion as he had been taught by Orochimaru. It was all a mystery to him.

Why did she still care so much of him?

He remembered her calling out to him, looking out at her as she begged him to stop attacking them. He didn't of course. His goal was to kill Itachi, nothing more, nothing less, nothing in the middle.

That was the whole purpose of team snake. To get rid of his so called brother.

He sighed and closed his eyes thinking of their encounter with his once young and innoscent teammate.

Although... she was no longer young, she was no longer innocent, no longer weak. Sakura was now powerful, a model medical ninja that should be a basis for anyone to follow.

She had taken after Tsuande in so many ways; she had exact chakra control, she could destroy anything with ease, she had amazing super human strength, and most importantly, she was the most beautiful woman Sasuke had ever seen.

She had grown into so much more than the young girl she used to be, and that made Sasuke change his mind about her.

It was odd, but she meant a lot to him now. She had been a worthy opponent, and had actually been a mild challenge for him. She wasn't anywhere near as strong as him, but she had snuck up on him a few times and that made her a challenge. Not to mention she could destory the ground in large quantities so it was hard to remain standing around her.

The fight had been quite interesting.

Sakura ran into the clearing, yelling his name, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Sakura huh?" he asked. They where alone in the woods and he was standing in a tree looking down at her, his arm resting idly on his sword.

He was bored, uninterested, and annoyed. He had just beaten a few ANBU members that had next to nothing in strength. He had a good time beating them, no one would bring him back to Konoha before he finished his goal.

And even now, he guessed that he'd never again return. Could he?

It wasn't likely.

He had been counted as a missing ninja for so long, it didn't seem like he could go back to his once called home. He'd lived in the woods, in Sound, in all the villages, in and out of everywhere, it was almost impossible to return to his old life.

Sakura froze and turned to look up into the tree at her one true love. She had moved on, forgotten him and tried to find another love.

She thus far, had found nothing.

No man to comfort her, no man to hold her at night, and no one she could whisper to and share her dreams and secrets with.

Only Sasuke.

Sasuke was the only man she ever wanted to love and ever would.

"Sa-su-ke-ku-n..." She said in pieces trying to realize that it really was him. Once shock set in she balled her hands into fists.

"Sasuke-kun!" She yelled up to him. "You have to come back to Konoha! You have to! It's your home!" She pleaded, holding her hands up to her chest, putting her wrists against one another, her eyes starting to burn.

"No.." Sasuke said , his voice even, no emotion present of showing. "Konoha _was _my home, never against shall I return to that village. It's not my home, it's not the place I belong."

"Then where do you belong!?" She screamed desperately, trying not to cry.

Facing Sasuke alone wasn't like facing him with Naruto and Sai. She couldn't play of their strengths. She was helpless in a fight with Sasuke. Rumor had it he had beaten Deidara in a sight, and even the kazekage had fallen to Deidara.

If Gaara had fallen to Deidara, and Sasuke had beaten him, what did that say about Sasuke's super strength in comparison to her own?

It told Sakura she could never beat Sasuke, but at the same time, it gave her faith. Sasuke had gained the knowledge and power to kill Itachi. And perhaps with that, he would be satisfied and return home? With her? Back to Team seven?

"I belong where I choose, and Konoha isn't the place I choose to belong." He said, tilting his head back to look down at her as if she was next to nothing. "I am well aware of your quest to return me to Konoha, and it will fail. Nothing will ever return me to that despicable village.

"Sasuke-kun you belong with me! And Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei! You belong in Konoha! You're home, he village you where born in! Don't you remember it? Sasuke-kun please!"

Sasuke just stared at her as the wind wiped through his raven hair. "No Sakura... I belong where I choose, and I don't choose Konoha."

Sakura's eyes watered and her tears where coming very apparent in her beautiful emerald eyes.

Sasuke was never one for tears, and he hated them because he himself had let them fall so many times for the loss of his family and the pain of having his own brother spare him and no one else.

But now...? Seeing Sakura begin to cry for him once more. It changed something within his hard chest. Is emotionless exterior.

It wasn't breaking it exactly, it was just... a new feeling. Something he had not felt since he left her on that bench and ran away from Konoha.

"Sakura..." He said in the same voice as when he muttered his thanks to her in the years passed.

"I can not return to Konoha. Run." He told her jumping down from the tree, landing in a crouched position. He stood up confidently and took a few steps towards her, but not enough to be standing beside her.

Sakura shook her head violently, her eyes watering immensely. "NO!" She screamed, taking one step towards him. "Please Sasuke-kun!" She begged, her hands together, the knuckles defined in her black gloves. "Come back with me!" She pleaded, her tears finally breaking over her eye lid and streaming down her face.

She didn't want to fight, but she refused to run. She loved him, now and forever. Today and evermore. It wasn't just a crush anymore, it was a deep and heart felt feeling. She needed him and she couldn't just run away from him.

"Sakura..." He repeated putting his hand on the handle of his katana. "Run or fight me." He warned, taping this katana with his thumb as if to warn her against fighting him.

"I'm not running form you Sasuke." Sakura said, punching the ground as hard as she could, making it shatter out in all directions.

Sasuke stumbled and jumped up in a tree, having never seen Sakura's new-found strength.

"Impressive..." he said his face never changing expressions, but his eyebrow rasing slightly. "So you intend to fight me then?" He asked, knowing that she would surely lose. There was nothing she could do to beat him. It was foolish, stupid and completely and utterly insane .

Sakura paled slightly. She knew she couldn't beat Sasuke alone. She knew if she could keep him off his feet she could buy time until Naruto and Sai arrived to help her.

Sakura continued to demolish the ground under Sasuke's feet. She broke the trees that he jumped into and did everything she could to stop him from attacking.

In all honesty, Sasuke didn't want to fight her. He just dodged her attacks and did nothing else. He didn't want to kill her.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin yelled standing in a tree.

Sasuke turned his head and then jumped over to her. He stood by her side and still had his arm resting on his sword.

Sakura's eyes widened at seeing this new woman beside Sasuke. Was she the reason he didn't want to come back? He had already found a new love? Pain retched through Sakura's heart as she looked at Sasuke and the girl.

"Let's go Karin." he said as they both vanished from the fight and appeared at the hide out of team snake.

Sakura fell to her knees as Sai and Naruto arrived. Naruto ran to her side and fell down beside her. "Sakura? Are you ok? What happened? Who did you fight? Did you see Sasuke?"

Sakura just shook her head. "Sasuke got away... He left with this girl." She said, shaking slightly in fear and pain. "I couldn't stop him."

Naruto took her arm and helped her stand. "You survived and fought against him bravely you did the right thing." He said, touching her cheek with his hand. He still liked her deep inside his heard, but he knew that Sakura's heart only burned for Sasuke, and he had to accept that. That's why he knew he had to bring him back. So Sakura would be ok.

Sasuke sighed as he got up. He sensed another chakra, and he already knew who the female intruder was.

Sakura.

Sasuke went into the trees, masked his charka and watched her from the distance.

Sakura ran through the woods looking for Sasuke. She needed to see him, to ask about that girl. To talk to him for once.

She'd seen him earlier, but that wasn't enough! It wasn't enough to see her again. She loved him. She needed him. She wanted to be beside him even if it meant abandoning Konoha herself.

They had been best friends, they had talked, been on a team together, saved one another, protected one another. Surely that was enough?

**I saw her today...** **Sasuke's thoughts are in bold**

_I saw him today... Sakura's thoughts in italics_

**It has seemed like forever...**

_It seemed like forever..._

**She looks better than before...**

_I couldn't stop staring at him..._

**She begged me to come back with her...**

_He refused._

**Karin stopped me from talking to her...**

_A girl took him away..._

**Karin is obsessed, but I can't stand her at all...**

_They're probably in love..._

**I'd pick Sakura over Karin any day...**

He's probably really happy with her...

**I can't see her now...**

_He's hiding from me..._

**I want to step out and talk to her...**

_He never wants to see me again..._

**I almost want to run out and hug her...**

_I should go back to Konoha..._

**I think there's something wrong with me...**

_I think there's something wrong with me..._

**Why does my body feel so warm?**

_Why do I feel like I need to fall to my knees and cry?_

**I can't look at her now...**

_He'll never want to see me again..._

**I want to talk to her now!**

_I need to see him again!_

**I hate this so much...**

_I feel so stupid!_

**I miss her...**

_He doesn't care about me anymore._

**Does she still love me?**

_Does he even care anymore?_

**I miss her...**

_He'll never miss me..._

**I want to see her again...**

_He'll never want to see me again..._

**I made up my mind...**

_I made up my mind..._

"SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled running over to her and grabbing her arm. "I need to talk to you.."

Sakura looked back at him and then at his hand. His hand on her wrist and were almost twice the sides of her own. She moved closer to him so it didn't seem like she was trying to run from him.

"What do you want Sasuke-kun?" She asked, expecting him to say something she didn't want to hear.

She seemed disheveled, like she had been fighting with someone, probably another member of team snake.

Sasuke pulled her over to him.

He too was a bit hurt and was dusty. He had been fighting ANBU all day to keep them away from the hide out. It was had been his job to patrol the grounds earlier that day.

Sasuke reached out towards her and touched her cheek lightly with his hand, "I already told you, to talk." He said, letting go of her wrist and looking down at her.

During the time they had been apart Sasuke had a very large growth spirt and was now almost a foot and a half taller than her. The very top of her head barely made it to his collar bone.

He sighed and cupped her chin, making her look up at him. He smiled at her as sweetly as he could. It was hard for him to smile. He bad been taught never to show emotions or do any of such thing.

Sakura tried to pull away from him. "This is a trap! The real Sasuke-kun hates me." She said, to get away from him with both hands now. "Please let me go!"

Sasuke shook his head and his left hand cracked on the back of her neck, knocking her out. She fell limply into his arms and he hosted her up into the strong protective arms.

He held her bridal style as he started to walk. He sighed and looked down at her.

Perhaps... there was a reason for him to return to Konoha?

---

A/N: Hope you liked it Please Review!


	2. Changing His Feelings

'Turning His Heart'

**Chapter 2: **'Changing His Feelings'

**A/N:** Reviews said their should be a part two to wrap up what I started and I agreed. I want to end the story off with something really sweet. Hope you enjoy. **Once again, spoilers. Oh and the romance is NOT a spoiler. It's part of my story line. Thank you. ****NO offense is targeted towards Karin fans!!!**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishiomoto. However the plot is purely mine.

**Summary: **Sasuke fights Sakura and later on, he thinks back, goes after her and realizes a fate that includes both of them. Perhaps there is a reason for him to go to her? And with that, what should he do once he sees her? He leans forward...

—

**Last Chapter:**

Sasuke shook his head and his left hand cracked on the back of her neck, knocking her out. She fell limply into his arms and he hosted her up into the strong protective arms.

He held her bridal style as he started to walk. He sighed and looked down at her.

Perhaps... there was a reason for him to return to Konoha?

—

Sasuke walked through the woods calmly, saying nothing and looking nowhere but at Sakura. What would he say to her when she awoke? He needed to think about that, but in the mean time, she was unconscious and he would have quite a while to think of a response to the numerous questions she would be asking him.

He smiled slightly, which wasn't much of anything considering he never smiled.

He pulled Sakura closer to his chest and held her close to him as he walked through the woods. He looked down at her and stopped walking as night set into the twilight hours.

She was indeed a beautiful sight in the dull light of the half moon. The silver rays reflected off her pastel locks, glistened on her glossy lips and seemed to make her entire face light up with a beauty he had never seen in her before.

It was... suspicious to Sasuke. What had caused his beautiful change in the young maiden before him? He had no answer for the nagging question that was eating away at him.

Sasuke placed her down at the foot of a tree, leaning her head on the strong bark, trying to keep her comfortable. He sighed and sat down in front of her, placing his sword in his lap and continued to admire the features in her that were not there before.

Her face was round like before, but not in an unappealing way. It was perfect. Her face was thin, but not drastically so. Again, it was perfect.

Sasuke raised his hand and touched her face and ran his hand down it in one swift motion, admiring each feature as hi hand passed them.

Her hair. It was still short like when she cut it to protect himself and Naruto. It made her bloom. It turned her into the beautiful pink rose that admired him from a far for many years. Her short hair was in the same style as it was since she met Ino, however, it was different. It was shiny, and smelled of Sakura blossoms, and felt like a silk curtain that were once draped in the room Orochimaru had given him.

Her forehead. Why had everyone called it so big? It seemed no larger than anyone else's he had ever seen. It appeared to be the size of his own, if not smaller still. It was the perfect size, fitting in with her face perfectly, giving her the look of a yong girl taking the shape of the beautiful woman she was destined to become.

Her eyebrows. Thin, cherry blossom colored, matching her short hair. They seemed so perfect on her. Not to wide, not too thin. Not as thick as Temari's but not as thin as Ino's.

Her eyes. Sakura's eyes where breath taking when they where awake. They had not changed since their last meeting. At least, not the shape or intensity of her stare. What had changed was the expressions behind them. She was no longer scared, or fearful. Tsuande-sama had made her emotionless when needed, fearless, powerful, and above all strengthened her loyalty and taught her never to give up or fall in a fight.

Her nose. Her nose was thin, and upturned slightly in an attractive feminine sort of way. It showed the symmetry in her face, and also showed how defined her cheek bones where.

Her cheeks. Her cheeks where painted with a natural light pink blush that made her face light up when she laughed, smiled, or showed any emotion that displayed happiness, love, or affection.

Her lips. The lips of an angel. They where thin, but a good size that is what Sasuke guessed made her a perfect kisser. They where smooth and glossy, as if she wore lipstick. But everyone knew that she didn't. Sasuke guessed that she had men chasing after her like he had girls after him to be near her beauty and touch these delicate flower petal lips with their own.

Her chin. Was rounded femininely and showed how her lips fit perfectly on her face.

He couldn't help but smirk as his hand fell to his side and he rested it on his lap with his sword. He wouldn't touch her as he admired her now. She could wake as he did so and he had seen her Tsuande like strength and he didn't wish to get hit.

Her neck. Thin, and supported her head as she held it high and no longer shyly looked at the ground, falling into the shadow of the once popular and more powerful blonde kunoichi.

But since Ino had begged Sakura to become a medical ninja, Sakura had become her elder sister and taught her. Sasuke had heard this from his sources, and they where quite reliable since he had recently found them to be true.

Her shoulders. A bit wider than they where before, which just went to show that her hips had also grown. She was still smaller than him and his shoulders where much wider.

Her breasts. Perhaps observing this about her may deem him a pervert, but he wanted to see everything he had not seen in her before. He didn't care. They where almost three times the size as before. They made her curves seem more outward and it seemed that she was even more of a woman than before. She was now curvy and her cloths hugged at these curves making her all that much more attractive.

Unconscious

Sasuke admired this for a few more moments before looking downward at her thin waist.

Her arms. These once scrawny and flabby limps where now toned, muscular and hard to the touch when her biceps where touched while searching for strength.

Her hands. Sakura's hands were thin, her fingers slightly long and her nails where painted. Green, to match her flawless emerald eyes.

Her torso. It was thin, defined, and quite muscular. He could tell by looking at it behind her tight fitting shirt. It made her seem like... not a woman, but a warrior. She was strong now. A fighter and a winner. A medical assistant and an apprentice of one of the Sannin.

Sasuke looked up at the closed lids. Even while closed she had the beauty and body of a goddess on Earth. What had he missed in those two and a half years he had gone to fight with the former most powerful Sannin.

Her hips. This was the one thing Sasuke had a hard time describing to himself. They where wide, but not drastically out slanted as to make her look stupid. She was indeed fine, her hips where curved and rounded, making her look as if she was ready to bear the children of any man who had the nerve to ask her and give her love.

His mind wandered to kissing her flawless neck and then running his hands over her perfect hips. Then thoughts of them holding within them another uchiha. His head shook violent as the thoughts where cast aside.

What had he been thinking and more importantly, why was he thinking of it?

He cringed slightly and shook his head, trying to forget the thoughts that had wandered through his mind included the unconscious girl before him.

Sasuke looked back at her and his mind wandered to the next feature on her body.

Her legs. Sakura had long legs; she always had. They where always strong, but not as strong as they where now. She had the power to summon all of her chakra and she always had excellent chakra control. She could always do anything with it. She was the first one to succeed in the tree climbing test. That showed how advanced she was in that department and how much better she would be then him at it.

Or how powerful she had been. He was now the strongest of any of Orochimaru's allies and slaves. Well, former Orochimaru slaves.. Sasuke had taken the life of his teacher himself. Although, rumor had it that he as still alive and living withing another.

Sasuke's hand rested on her right leg and he raised his hand up it slightly.

Smooth, no flaws and he felt no hair on them. They were indeed flawless and held no imperfects. They were like the skin of a small child. Soft, and smooth. It reminded Sasuke of lotion.

He realized he was feeling her legs and stopped.

Her cloths also showed her growth. Her old cloths was half a dress and pants. It showed she was unsure of what she wanted to be. A girlfriend and lover, or a ninja and warrior.

Now?

She was both. She had a short skirt and shorts, which was covered by whitish covering fabric. He was starting to admire her in so many ways. He loved it.

He sighed and moved away from her as her eyelids crunched together. She stirred slightly, but remained asleep. He leaned towards her slightly and touched her cheek lightly.

"Sakura..." He said, speaking for the first time since he had knocked her out hours before.

He couldn't help but lean towards her face as he spoke her name. She seemed to smile at him as he spoke her name. He liked that.

She leaned towards him slightly, falling to the side, losing the support of the tree.

Sasuke's hands shot forward, catching her before she hit the dirty ground and then leaned here against him lightly. He ran his hands over her back, dusting her cloths off.

He sighed and looked down at her as he guided her to rest against the tree, sitting up a bit more. His right hand wandered down her face slightly as his left hand removed his sword from his lap and he moved closer, touching her gently.

He scooted towards her a bit more and his forehead was mere inches from hers showing that they where closer than they had ever been. Both spiritually and physically.

Well, that wasn't true. He'd leaned into her when he first got the curse seal, not realizing until after that he had dove his head directly into her chest.

He sighed slightly and shook his head, forgetting about the past and the nasty memories it brought for the two of them, both together and apart.

Sasuke stopped gliding his hand over her face and turned to the side. He sensed a masked chakra coming towards them. He stood up and picked up his sword as he did so, jumping up into the tree and hiding his own chakra. His eyes narrowed as he activated his sharingan and looked into the depths of the woods to reveal his former female companion, Karin.

His red eyes faded to onyx and he tilted his head back and shook it off. He decided to say nothing and just wait to see what Karin wanted and what she would do once she saw Sakura.

Karin walked into the clearing and looked around. "Sasuke-kun?" She whispered; looking around and trying to locate him. She was close enough that her powers of tracking were useless.

She knew he was here, but where was the question?

His chakra trail has disappeared, but it was on the girl leaning on the tree.

Karin walked over to the pink haired girl and recognized her as the girl that had once been on a team with Sasuke. Karin was ever loyal to Orochimaru and she had learned a lot of what she knew about Sasuke from him and rumors. These rumors and tellings drew her to Sasuke and nagged at her to meet him.

Once she had, she instantly loved him. He was strong, powerful, a killer, a ninja and a master mind behind fighting and skill. She wanted to be with him, she needed to. His strength was legendary and her being there when they killed Itachi meant that he could lean on her for his other goal.

To revive the Uchiha clan.

Not that she was going to sell herself as a whore or prostitute, but she knew how men worked and she had for years gotten them to eat out of the palm of her hand and beg her for more.

Sasuke however, was a lot harder to do that with. He was stronger and had a far harder concrete wall that made her advances seem like nothing.

That annoyed her more than anything and she wanted nothing more than to get with him and have him in a bed with her.

She sighed and touched Sakura's face and then slapped it. "Foolish bitch... he's mine and you better stay away from him!" She hissed to herself mainly because Sakura was asleep.

"Karin!" Sasuke vanished and appeared behind Karin, a few steps from her. "Back away from Sakura now.."

Karin looked up at him startled and then backed away from Sakura, moving closer to him.

"Why Sasuke-kun, I didn't know that you would be here.." She said in a voice full of lies and tainted truth.

That had been the very reason she had come here. To target him alone and try to work on her so called "charm."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as she came closer. "Can I help you?" He asked in annoyance, mad at her for striking Sakura's porcelain face.

She nodded, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other about his back. "Oh Sasuke-kun, how I have longed to hold you like this." She said, leaning towards him.

Sakura's eyes shot open. She had woken when she felt something smack her but she didn't open her eyes until Sakura mentioned holding him. Her eyes closed slightly. She could still see them, but she was starting to fight back tears fo crying. She had been right. He was in love with her... wasn't he?

Sasuke pushed Karin off him with more force then needed and almost threw her into another tree. "Don't touch me..." He warned annoyed. "I hate being touched."

Sakura smiled to herself and Inner Sakura started to dance in her mind. "CHA!" Inner sakura yelled in trump. "SASUKE IS MINE!"

"Go away..." Sakura thought, wondering why Inner Sakura needed to have a say in what Sasuke had just done to this girl.

A few things where making Sakura happy at that moment. First, Sasuke didn't like the girl. Second, she knew her name, Karin. And third, He didn't like her!

"You said that already..." Inner Sakura said annoyed at being told to shush.

"You're still here?" Sakura asked in her mind, trying to get Inner Sakura to take a hike up a mountain and drown in a river.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Karin looked behind her. Sasuke's eyes where faster than Karin's and he saw Sakura close her eyes and he sighed slightly.

"Karin go back to base, I'll meet up with you later." He said, waving his hand. "Do it now." he said warning in his voice.

Karin bit her lip, seeing Sakura's eyes closed. She was unsure of what she should do. "What did you..?"

"I was fighting her and she fell unconscious, not that it concerns you. Go back to base now... It';s your turn to stand guard." Sasuke said angrily. "I'm warning you." he said, watching her back away from him in fear on making him mad of making him draw his katana.

She nodded and then smiled. "Yes of course, Sasuke-kun." She said, vanishing and reappearing at the base. She sighed as she walked into the gates and started to walk around the inside perimeter, looking around for anything that didn't belong or was out of place. Her red eyes caught sight of a person and she sighed seeing the pointed teeth and cocky smile.

Suigetsu smirked at her as she walked inside and then laughed at her. "I told you he liked her more than you." he ridiculed as she glared at him.

Juugo walked over and handed Suigetsu a couple bills and sighed. "You won." he said once Karin was gone.

"Bingo!" Suigetsu said smiling. He had succeeded in winning his first bet with Juugo.

--

Sasuke turned to Sakura and kneeled down beside her. "I know you're awake." he muttered to her in a gentle voice.

Sakura opened her eyes suddenly and smiled at him weakly. "Sasuke-kun.." She started. "Why did.. um.. You knock me out?" She asked curiously.

Sasuke sighed and held out his hand for her to take. "We should walk and talk." He said, smiling at her. "Come on."

Sakura took her hand confidently. Maybe he did finally love her back! What if he was coming baco to Konoha because of her?!

Sasuke pulled her to her feet and then watched her dust herself off, his eyes focused on her hands and the black gloves that covered them. He wanted to know why it was that she was using them. Did they perhaps enhance her power the way his sword could?

He dismissed it and then sighed and shook his head. He walked beside her in silence for a few minutes and around a couple dozen trees before Sakura's voice broke the silence.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asked timidly. "Why did you knock me out?" She asked once more.

Sasuke looked at her and then back ahead of them at the path he was leading her back to Konoha. "I don't know... I jsut made up my mind about something and that was what I had to do." he said honestly.

Sakura smiled and recognized the path they were taking. It was the same path they had to go back after fighting Orochimaru. She looked down at his hand which was swinging slowly by his side.

She thought about taking it, but changed her mind and decided not to, thinking it would make him mad. They walked in silence for a while.

Should she ask him? Was he just bringing her back? Was he going back to _that_ girl? Was he going to try and kill her? Was he going to betray Konoha once he got back? Would he attack?

Hundreds more questions went through her head and she grew more and more nervous and unsure on what she should do say or if she should attack him before they got to Konoha.

"What are you so scared of?" Sasuke asked her as he sensed her distress. "I'm not going to kill or attack you." he told her and then once again there was another awkward silence.

They silence was much longer than the last two and Sasuke didn't know what to say to put her at ease. She was tense and was ready to fight if he attacked her. But he didn't want to fight her. He liked her. She meant a lot to him, but now he had no idea how to show it. He shook his head and his onyx eyes closed. He needed to think...

He liked Sakura. She was sweet, strong and beautiful. What more could he want?

He coughed suddenly, denying what he just told himself and shook his head. He didn't want to admit anything anymore.

NO! I don't like her! He yelled in his mind before looking at her once more...

"Sasuke-kun are you ok?" She asked worriedly.

Sasuke nodded but said nothing to her. He didn't want to say anything yet. Not at all, or possibly not ever.

Sakura sighed and bit her lip as they walked. She didn't know what to tell him, what to ask, how to say it or if she could even trust him.

She still loved him more than anything, and it's not like she could just forget him, but... what if he attacked someone?

WORSE! What if Naruto and Sai showed up and tried to fight him. He was heading back to Konoha and at this rate he could be back in the village in no time at all.

She smiled at him slightly and looked over at him. He was looking straight ahead. She sighed and looked up at the sky. The stars where twinkling as if winking down at them, telling them it was ok to hold hands and be together for the night.

Sasuke turned his head to looked at her, noticing she was looking at him and he sighed and looked away when she did, unsure if he should look at her again.

Why was this so awkward? Sasuke asked himself. He didn't want it to be like this. He liekd Sakura and he didn't want the friendship they had to die because he ran off to train with Orochimaru.

Was that the reason it was so silent? She didn'r trust her anymore?

"Sakura...?" He asked breaking the silence.

"Yes Sauske-kun?" She asked, rejoicing that he had broken the silence

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked her in a nice tone. "Because My goal isn't to hurt you... It's to go back to Konoha with you." He said, brushing his hand against hers.

Sakura blushed when his hand touched hers but smiled all the same. "I'm really glad..." She started. "I missed you so much." She said happily as they walked down the path in the woods.

A silence once against took over them, but it wasn't awkward, it was out of thought.

**Sakura's smiling at me... Sasuke in bold**

_Sasuke smiled at me! Sakura in Italics_

**She looks so beautiful...**

_He's so handsome..._

**What should I say now?**

_What should I say to him...?_

**What is she thinking?**

_What's he thinking?_

**Why is she looking at me that way?**

_Why is he staring?_

**She looks so confused...**

_He's so cute.._.

**She's so...**

_I knew he wanted to come home._

**Beautiful? Exotic?**

_He'll be with me forever and thank me for bringing him home!_

**Breathtaking...**

_Oh! He's coming closer to me!_

**Maybe I should...**

_He's holding my hand! _

**She's so warm...**

_Ok Sakura keep it cool!_

**She looks like she blushing.**

_Oh My God! Am I blushing!?_

**Why am I smirking?**

_He's smiling!_

**She looks so happy...**

_I'm SO happy! _

**Karin will love this...**

_Take that Ino pig!_

**Sakura is so happy now...**

_We'll be really happy together..._

**I like her happy.**

_I'd love to make him happy!_

**How about this?**

_Oh my god.. He's touching my waist!!_

**I knew she'd like me holding her...**

_He's holding onto me! GO SAKURA!_

**I need to talk to her...**

_What's he thinking?_

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, trying to pull her out of her fantasy world, in which she was high as a kite and happier than any girl in the world.

"Yes Sasuke-kun?" She asked happily, wrapping her arm around his back and holding onto him like he was holding her.

He stopped and wrapped an arm around her waist and then leaned down so his face was level with hers. Sasuke moved closer and he could hear her heart beating.

**Her heart is so loud...**

_I can hear Sasuke-kun's heart beating. _

**She's perfect.**

_He's perfect._

**I want to...**

_What's he doing?!_

Sasuke leaned towards her slightly and pressed his lips against her like he wanted.

Maybe he needed to kill Itachi to receive his vengeance; but maybe, just maybe, he could achieve that with Sakura?

Could it be that the restoration of his clan was to come beforekilling one of the last pure blood members?

Is that what the puzzle Sasuke couldn't figure out?

The one that kept him up at night? And the one that nagged at him?

He wrapped his arms around Sakura's perfect hip and waist and let himself melt into her embrace as he continued to kiss her.

Sakura blushed brighter than her shirt, but she closed her eyes, leaned forward and kissed him back with all the passion that she had felt for him all her life.

That was it. She was the solution to the puzzles that he couldn't solve, the reason the pieces of killing Itachi sooner and sooner never fit together.

She was the kunoichi that Sasuke needed, and the real partner that would help him kill Itachi once and for all.


	3. Battles

'Turning His Heart...'

**Chapter: **3 'Battles'

**A/N:** Read and Review! AH! Work is a killer! I've been working this whole month horrid hours, and I haven't had much time for fan fictions. I hope to get more done when I go to Cuttyhunk for a week and get some good rest and relaxation while on vacation! I can't update because they might not have internet, but I will have my laptop!

**Beware! There are spoilers of the Manga and Naruto Shippuuden!**

**Summary: **Sasuke fights Sakura and later on, he thinks back, goes after her and realizes a fate that includes both of them. Perhaps there is a reason for him to go to her?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, _not _me! However, the plot is mine!

—

**- Chapter 2: -**

Sasuke leaned towards her slightly and pressed his lips against her like he wanted.

Maybe he needed to kill Itachi to receive his vengeance; but maybe, just maybe, he could achieve that with Sakura?

Could it be that the restoration of his clan was to come beforekilling one of the last pure blood members?

Is that what the puzzle Sasuke couldn't figure out?

The one that kept him up at night? And the one that nagged at him?

He wrapped his arms around Sakura's perfect hips and waist and let himself melt into her embrace as he continued to kiss her.

Sakura blushed brighter than her shirt, but she closed her eyes, leaned forward and kissed him back with all the passion that she had felt for him all her life.

That was it. She was the solution to the puzzles that he couldn't solve, the reason the pieces of killing Itachi sooner and sooner never fit together.

She was the kunoichi that Sasuke needed, and the real partner that would help him kill Itachi once and for all.

- **End Chapter 2 -**

Sasuke walked with Sakura, side by side through the woods. They could be running, but that was a waste of time. They wanted to be together, alone. If they went back to Konoha too quickly, they wouldn't have this time together, and in all honesty, that's what both of them wanted.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke welcomingly. It was getting dark. The sun was setting behind the trees. Birds cawed in the background, calling to all those in their flock, telling them to come close to avoid danger, and Sasuke was thinking along the same lines.

Many rogue ninja wandered around between Konoha and Oto at night, and he knew he could protect Sakura from anything. Given, if he was awake. Sasuke was a relatively light sleeper, he always had been. From the arguing of his father and brother late into the evening hours, to just be aware of the things around him, and then to Karin trying to near rape him in his sleep. Not that she ever really tired to rape him, she just liked to 'admire' him.

He took Sakura's hand into his own and looked at her. It had always been hard for him to smile, at least.. Since what Itachi had done. He sighed slightly and continued walking in the darkening woods, holding Sakura close to him.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and was a bit confused. Things had been relatively quiet since they had kissed a while back and she was starting to get a bit frustrated. Why would he kiss her like that? Was it just to shut her up or something? She started to feel discouraged and then finally plucked up the courage, (after a battle with Inner Sakura) to ask Sasuke what was wrong with him.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asked, her voice small and slightly timid.

Sasuke gave his full attention to her. "Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. What was wrong with her? Had he done something wrong or made her uncomfortable? He sighed again and then looked over at her. "Tell me." He said firmly, wanting to know what she wanted to ask him.

"Sasuke-kun.." She said, unsure if she should ask him at all. "Is something wrong with you? Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me? Why did you kiss me? Are you really with that other girl?" She asked, the questions pouring out of her mouth, and she was almost unable to stop them.

Sasuke's eyebrow returned to its proper place and he gave her a small smirk. She knew it was there by comparison to the rest of his features. His face looked softer, but he looked so much more attractive when he smiled.

Sasuke watched her for a few seconds before wiping the smirk from his face, returning it to the emotionless stare he usually had plastered on his face. "Sakura..." He started, unsure of what else to say, or what questions to answer. Didn't he already answer the Karin question? Not verbally, but by action? Sakura had become very insecure or was it just him and his silence?

He looked down into her beautiful emerald eyes and then cupped her chin. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Sakura listen to me, and listen closely." He instructed seeing her look up at him, hope in her eyes.

"Nothing is wrong with me.. I've always been the quiet type and you know that." He told her, giving her a semi smile once more. He didn't stop there however, he continued to speak. "You did nothing wrong, I still care about you. I'm not mad at you." he continued, answering her questions in the order of how she had asked them, which was shocking. It was almost as if he had memorized the questions. "I kissed you because I care about you." he said, his smile growing ever so slightly.

"That other girl's name is Karin, and she's only on team Hebi because she has tracking abilities and she knows where Itachi is and she'd leading us to him." he told her everything, in all honesty. He wasn't about to lie to the woman he was falling for. He just... He couldn't.

Sakura's gem-like eyes filled with promise, hope, and love. She took Sasuke's hand into her own and kissed it. "I love you so much, Sasuke-kun." She muttered, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Hearing such a thing from her was not new. He had heard her say it before, but at the same time. He knew why she did. Not that he thought more highly of himself to be considered conceited, but he knew that she had always cared about him. And he had never forgotten that. She was there when he left, telling him it would always be ok. Telling him she wanted him to stay.

She had been the only one.

No one else even noticed his absence, or at least, that's what he believed. He didn't want to return because no one would trust him. No one wanted him there. Sure the fan girls missed him, but as soon as he vanished, they found someone else to swarm around. And should he return, they would drop whoever 'the other Sasuke' was and flock back to him in giant masses, telling him how much they loved him.

He didn't want to have to deal with being "The last Uchiha", or "The only one to survive". He didn't want the stares or the attention, and it was something he only got in Konoha. None of the other villages cared, and no one else had mentioned it were he could hear it, and in reality, that's all he had asked. Just talk about it where I can't hear you.

Sakura took his hand and started to walk once more, only to have Sasuke stand his ground and pull her back over to him. "We'll sleep here the night." he told her. He knew they could make it back to Konoha by midnight or the twilight hours, but he didn't want to loose this precious time with Sakura.

He was starting to second guess himself. Should he _really _go back to Konoha? What would everyone say? What would everyone do?

Wait a damn minute? Why the hell do I even care?! Sasuke asked himself within his own head. Which was the truth. He didn't care what everyone else thought. He only cared about what Sakura thought, and what he thought. Other than that, everyone else was truly pointless in his mind.

Sasuke held onto Sakura's hand as he sat down with her. She had small backpack and a bed roll she could sleep in. He however was used to not sleeping with anything. All he needed was a tree to lean against or sit in. He looked at Sakura and smiled at her slightly. He liked smiling at her. Truthfully, he loved the reaction he got when he did. Her eyes lit up and her face illuminated with happiness he had never seen on it before. He kissed her cheek and smiled at her. "You should sleep." he instructed, leaning against a tree, closing his eyes.

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she watched him close his eyes. She took out her sleeping bag and laid it on the ground and sat on top of it. She looked over at him. "Sasuke-kun... You can.." A crimson blush went over her face. "You can... Lay with me, if you want..." She said, her blush increasing, making her look similar to Hinata whenever Naruto got close enough to touch her.

She smiled up at him, her face still a dark crimson. "Sasuke-kun...?" She asked when he didn't respond. She was now nervous. What if he didn't want to lay with her? What if this was a trap!? No.. Sasuke-kun would never do that to her! Never!

She smiled and looked down at the ground gingerly. If he says no she'd feel like the stupidest person on the planet. Offering for a guy to sleep beside her and he says no? Oh man.. Maybe she shouldn't have asked! She closed her eyes and then wrapped her arms around her waist as she felt a presence looming over her.

Sasuke smirked down at her and bent down onto his knees and rested beside her. "I'd like that." He told her. He never expected for her to say that to him. But he was glad she did. He had already held her while she was asleep, admired her body, and watched her. But now, he got to hold her and touch her himself. He got to be with her; permission granted.

Sakura smiled up at him, as if there were shoes all around Sasuke. Sakura loved shoes, and she smiled as she got a vision of her and Sasuke married, Sasuke walking with one of their children, a girl with pink hair and onyx eyes, and Sasuke falling over one of her pairs of shoes and then her running to him and healing him.

She laughed to herself, raising her hand to her face as she giggled. She leaned her head back, moving her hair from her face and then looked up at Sasuke who was staring down at her quizzically.

She shook her head, realizing what she had just done and how stupid she must have looked. "Nothing Sasuke-kun, I apologize!"

Sasuke smiled at her, this time a full smile, something he had not done since he was a young child. "Sakura.. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. Laughing isn't a crime. Don't worry about it." he said, his smile still present on his thin lips.

Sakura leaned up, putting her face before his and then kissed him gently. She had never kissed him first, out of the one time out of one they had kissed, he had made the first move. He'd kissed her first. She blushed slightly as they kissed. She loved kissing him. He was so good at it, it felt so right and she wanted to do it forever.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and suddenly kissed her back. He smiled and held onto her hips as his lips puckered and pushed themselves against her. Her lips where so smooth and soft. It was just like her perfect skin. It made him want to smile.

His smiled faded slightly as he kissed her. Not that he didn't enjoy it, just that it took way more than three muscles for him to smile and it hurt his face slightly. It took a lot of effort to keep it going. Not to mention smiling and kissing? Not good bed fellows.

Sakura broke the kiss to breath. She panted a few times and then got up and unzipped her bag making it double the size so they could both lay on it. Sasuke laid down on the right side and Sasuke took the left. He looked up at the stars and smiled. The best place to see them was always in the woods. It was a breathtaking sight. It was like looking at Sakura with the full moon behind her as she leaned forward to kiss him.

Sasuke's mind started to wander to Sakura having a kunai in her mouth as she ran her hands down her sides and then leaned forward towards him, trying to kiss him as she pulled off her shirt and– Sasuke halted his thoughts, wondering if he had been smoking some kind of drug. He wondered why the hell he had that mental picture of her. He cared about her and everything, but he didn't want things to go that far with her _yet_.

He sighed and released all of his thoughts, clearing his mind. He blinked twice and looked up at the stars once more. "They're amazing." he said, looking at her. "They really are. They remind me of you." He said, looking to see her reaction.

Sakura's face lit up in a light cherry colored blush. "Sasuke-kun!" She uttered in a small voice. "Why? Do you really mean that?" She asked, smiling at him. "Do you really!?"

Sasuke nodded towards her. "Since when do I say something I don't mean." he said, smirking at her. "You mean everything to me, Sakura." he told her as he looked back up at the stars. He thought back to his family and how he'd felt when he had one. He also thought to when he promised himself he would be an avenger.

His two goals for life, to kill Itachi, and to repopulate the Uchiha clan.

Both were goals that were very close. It was at this time, he realized something. He couldn't return to Konoha. Not yet! He had to stay with team Hebi and kill off Itachi before he could do anything else! That was his destiny as an avenger. And it was something he couldn't give up.

"Sakura.." He whispered to her in the darkness. The sun had gone down by now and it was pitch black. It was also very cold.

He got up and walked off into the woods. He came back and made a small array of wood and then pulled flint from Sakura's backpack and started a fire to keep her warm. He had an open shirt, but it was cold in Oto, something Suigetsu loved. Sasuke smirked only slightly as he thought of Suigetsu frozen like a popsicle, unable to move. He then saw Karin throwing a fit and screaming at him and this caused him to chuckle to himself.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke and moved closer to him as the fire was started. She leaned against him and looked at his abs in his open shirt and smiled slightly. She was so excited. She was close to Sasuke, at night, they where alone, and most importantly, they where together like they where destined to be.

"Yes Sasuke?" She asked, wanting to know hat he was going to sway before he walked off to get wood. She thought he was going to ask if she was cold, but her shaking must have answered his question and he walked off to get wood anyway. Oh Sasuke-kun your so romantic! She thought in her head, pushing Inner Sakura away from Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at her. "Hm? Oh!" he said, remembering he had called her attention. "I was just going to.. Never mind." He said, unsure of how to tell her he needed to go back to team Hebi before he did anything.

"Please tell me." Sakura pleaded as she leaned towards him. "Sasuke-kun please." She practically begged, leaning her head on his shoulder. She needed to know.

Sakura needed for him to tell her. She wanted to know exactly what he had been thinking. She wanted to know, she needed to be told wheat was on his mind. He was finally starting to open up to her and she needed for him to keep that up. She wanted him to continuously tell her things, to keep her a part of his life.

Sasuke sighed. He didn't know what she would do if he told her the truth. Would she run? Would she attack? Would she cry? He had a feeling she would cry, and he hated seeing her cry. That's why he had to knock her out the last time. Her tears that fell made him feel bad for leaving and he just needed them to stop falling, and knocking her out was the only way he could do it.

"Sakura.. This is very hard for me to say..." He told her, biting his own lip out of nervousness. "I just.. Well.." he stammered, unsure of how to put this.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, taking his hand and making him look at her. "I know what you're going to say..." She said, her eyes shining back and forth. "And I know I shouldn't try to stop you, but... if you kill Itachi, promise me one thing... Promise me you'll come back to Konoha, alive." She asked, knowing how important killing Itachi was to him.

Sasuke smiled at her. She was so smart. Seems there was nothing he could say to fool her. "Thank you Sakura..." He said, kissing her cheek and wrapping his arm around her. "I'm glad you understand what I need to do. I.. I.. I love you." He said, finally able to finish his sentence.

Sakura' s eyes lit up against the beauty of the night around them. Sasuke had finally confessed his true feelings. He promised to – wait.. He didn't promise to come back to her once he had fulfilled his life long goal of avenging his clan. She looked up at him, slightly discouraged.

Sasuke smiled down at her and then saw the look on her face. "Sakura?" He asked, unsure of what was wrong. Is that not what she wanted to hear or something? Did she want him to do something else? Like kiss her again? Or.. You know, touch her?

Sasuke looked at her and then cupped her chin and went to kiss her as his other arm slid around her back. He leaned forward to kiss her but to his surprise, Sakura pushed him away.

"Sasuke-kun please do me a favor... _Promise_ me that you'll come back after you fight Itachi!" She pleaded, holding onto his open shirt. "I want to see you again. You can't die in that fight, not after everything you'd told me.. If you die, then I'll die. Now that I know you love me, if I lost you I would honestly die!" She told him, closing her eyes. "I really would!" She said, on the verge of tears. "Please Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke took her into his arms an held her close. "I'm sorry." He said, which made Sakura's eyes well up with tears.

"Sasuke-kun.." She muttered quietly.

Sasuke put his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. He smiled and kissed her cheek. He smiled at her and then ran his hands over her cheek. "I promise to come back to you after I fight Itachi. And I promise that I'll be alive." He said, kissing her cheek.

Sakura blushed and smiled up at him. "Oh, Sasuke-kun!" She said, smiling up at him. "I love you so much!" She said, hugging him as tightly as she could. She closed her eyes and kissed his cheek.

Sasuke kissed her lips after she kissed his cheek and wrapped an arm around her back, holding her as her head rested on his shoulder. "I love you too, Sakura." He said, making her blush once more. He liked telling her he loved her. It wasn't really his style, but it got a good reaction out of her. He liked her reactions to his words. Her blush, her smile, the tilt of her head. It was all so breath taking.

Sasuke continued to hold her as he laid down. Sakura rested her head on Sasuke's strong chest. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. She loved being close to him and she was already comfortable with doing something she always wanted to do, kiss him.

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes. She was tired. Sasuke did knock her out and she did take a "nap" but she was still exhausted.

Sasuke kissed her cheek and then closed his eyes. "Go to sleep Sakura, go to sleep." He said, kissing her forehead.

Sakura nodded and kept her eyes closed. She raised her hand to her face as she yawned and then closed her mouth once she'd finished. She kissed him quickly on the lips. "Good night, Sasuke-kun." She said, smirking and falling asleep beside him.

—

"Suigetsu!" Karin yelled, running through the building team snake stayed in. "Suigetsu!" She yelled again, looking in his room. "Damn it where the hell are you?!"

Suigetsu picked up his head from his poker game and groaned. "Karin not now." He said with annoyance in his voice. "What do you want now?"

Karin opened the door and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "If I promise to get you a kitten will you come with me and help me get Sasuke-kun back? He's about to abandon us for that stupid cherry head girl!"

"You have the nerve to insult her?" He asked, laughing at her. He dusted off his pants and walked over to her, leaving his sword on the ground behind where he was sitting. The sword he had gotten from Zabuza's grave. "Come on Karin, he wants to kill Itachi, he'll come back." He told her as he rested his hands on her shoulders.

Karin's eyes narrowed immensely. "Suigetsu! Come with me or else!" She yelled, knowing she wouldn't be in as much trouble because Sasuke had told her to get lost. She groaned and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him off his feet slightly. "Got it!?" She asked in a high voice, not quite in a yell this time. Karin had a loud voice naturally, but she could raise it to a deafening level.

Suigetsu groaned again and closed his amber eyes. He ran his right hand through his short sky blue hair and then put his hands on hers and pulled them away. He walked over to where he was playing poker with Juugo and picked up his sword. He walked over to her as he rested the handle against his shoulder. "Fine, fine. Let's go." he said, walking off with her.

Karin smiled up at him and then pulled off her glasses and cleaned them on her shirt as they walked. She looked through them without putting them on and then wiped them again. She smirked and put them back on. "His chakra is further then before. He's headed back to Konoha." She said, darkly. "I told you so."

Suigetsu looked at her. "You're so paranoid. Sasuke doesn't even like you, get over him and let her go with "cherry head." What's it to you if he's with her anyway?" He questioned, knowing how much she liked Sasuke. "He has a perfect profile and I still expect that cat." He said, thinking she was just kidding about getting it.

Karin had a dislike for animals, but Suigetsu on the other hand loved them. Sasuke's family had a line of ninja cats that served their family for a price, usually cat nip or other cat toys. Suigetsu tried to pet one and it almost attacked him. He sighed and then switched the shoulder his sword was leaning on because he was carrying it in front of him instead of on his back. It made him tired when he walked like that. He smiled and started to think of his cat and how Karin was going to convince Sasuke into letting him keep it.

Karin started to walk a little faster. Sasuke's chakra had stopped moving and Karin guessed he was going to sleep. She smiled slightly. He looked so peaceful when he slept. He was cute, sweet and sometimes he smiled. She looked up at the sky and then closed her eyes and tilted her head so she was looking forward and opened her eyes.

Suigetsu moved a branch out of his and Karin's way. He looked down at her and then smiled. She looked so.. Weird. She was worried about Sasuke, and he could tell. She was worried for him but also for herself. She wanted to be with Sasuke.

Suigetsu had no idea why. I mean sure, Sasuke had a perfect profile, he was handsome, he was strong, a man to admire, but.. He was so emotionless. He wasn't perfect, and Suigetsu saw that. Him and Sasuke had gotten close. They talked a lot and Sasuke confided in him about several things, and Suigetsu returned it.

They knew a lot about one another and they were close friends. Not quite best friends, but something close to it. He smirked as he looked up at the sky, his jagged teeth exposed as he did so. He liked Sasuke. Not romantically, he had someone else in mind for that.

Suigetsu cleared some mucus from his throat and looked at Karin. He sighed and shook his head. She was just like all the other girls Sasuke had complained about. Sure she was helping him like none of the others had but she was only interested in his profile, his strength, and the legend behind his name. Sasuke. The last Uchiha.

Suigetsu grabbed her arm as she stumbled and pulled her up onto her feet. She smiled at him slightly in thanks and continued to walk beside him. He was friends with Sasuke but it was hard for him to see what woman saw in him. He sighed and looked at Karin. This was going to take a while. He was starting to get tired form carrying around his sword. But he figured he would buy Sasuke some time to sleep before he and Karin showed up. He yawned and put his sword on his back. "Karin I'm tired can we rest?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

Karin rounded on him and glared hatefully. "We _just _started walking, how can you be tired?!" She demanded, advancing on him. "I hate it when you do this, and you do it _every _hour!" She half screamed. "No! We're not stopping."

Suigetsu smiled. He loved making her mad. He liked how she looked when she was mad. She looked so beautiful. He sighed. But he wasn't interested in her. He just loved making her mad. She looked so much better angry then when she was flirting with Sasuke. She usually only did that when they where alone, and she had a habit of pulling Sasuke away, locking doors, lying to him. Suigetsu came in around there and took care of making it so she wasn't alone with Sasuke.

"Come on Karin I'm really tired." he said, slowing down slightly and stopping. "Go I'll catch up." He said, knowing she wouldn't go without him. Truth was, she left him alone he'd go back and finish his poker game. He had been winning and betting on team Hebi was common and fun. Suigetsu and Sasuke did it all the time as a running joke.

Karin sighed and sat down beside him, crossing her left leg over the right and leaning backwards on her arms, her stomach curving in as she did so. "Fine.. You have five minutes." She said, looking up at the beautiful night sky.

Suigetsu looked at her waist and then smiled. She was really pretty when she was mad. He took out a piece of paper where he had tally marks of how often he had made her mad. He marked off the 203 tally mark satisfied and then put it back in his pocket.

—

Naruto was sitting in front of the fire, his arms resting on his knees. He seemed deep in thought, which was odd for him. He sighed and closed his blue eyes. He was thinking about Sasuke. He stated to think back to his fight with Sasuke two and a half years ago. Sasuke's words ringing in his head. _"How would you know what it's like! You were alone from the start, you never had a family!"_

Naruto sighed. He missed Sasuke. They were best friends and even Sasuke admitted to it. He looked up when he felt a presence beside him. "Hinata?" he asked, seeing her face come close to his. "What is it?"

"Naruto-kun?" She asked, leaning closer to him slightly a blush coming to her face. "Are you alright?"

Naruto smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, Go to sleep we have a lot of work ahead of us." He told her as he stood up and walked over to his own sleeping bag and sat on it, and then laid down, hands behind his head, thinking back to team seven when they all slept outside under the stars. When Sasuke was still in Konoha.

He sighed and then rolled over onto his side, starting to get restless. He waited a while, until Hinata and Yamato fell asleep and then got up. He didn't care about Akatsuki's hunt for his Jinchuuriki. He just wanted to see Sasuke again.

He ran off into the woods and started to search for his chakra. One of Kakashi's scent dogs ran after him and called to get his attention. Naruto looked at the dog which started to lead him in a different direction, bringing him towards Sasuke.

Naruto smiled and muttered his thanks. What would they do without Kakashi's dogs? He ran faster to keep up with the dog and then yawned slightly. He hadn't slept all night, and it was the early twilight hours now, around midnight or so. He smiled as they ran and then screeched to a halt when the dog started to sniff around.

"I'm picking up Sakura's scent mixed in with Sasuke's..." He said in a muffled gruff voice. He was a dog after all. Kakashi's dogs could somehow talk, no one knew why, but they could. Naruto's eyes grew wide and he bent down. He could pick up a small amount of Sasuke's scent and Sakura's perfume with his keen nose. "What are we waiting for then!?" He asked, starting to wonder if Sakura tried to take Sakura on his own.

The dog continued to search and then barked slightly. "Blood." he said, finding some from when Sakura and Sasuke fought. It was Sakura's.

Once Naruto found out, he once again took off with the dog. If Sakura was with Sasuke he would kill him! No one hurts Sakura.

Little did Naruto know, Sakura's wound came from her own power when she was striking the ground and came through her tight black gloves.

Naruto punched the ground, breaking his skin and ripping apart one of his knuckles, letting blood spray on the ground. He cursed and got up, standing up and looking at the moon. "Sasuke... What did you do to Sakura-chan?" He asked himself. The dog beside him took off into the woods and called to him. "Naruto! I've got a scent, this way!"

Naruto ran after the dog, looking for Sasuke and Sakura, trying to pick up one of their chakra. He smiled when the faint chakra of Sakura came to his senses. She wasn't far and he could catch up with her in no time at all. He smirked and jumped through the trees. "Here I come Sakura-chan! Hold on. I'll be there to save you soon!"

—

Sai looked around. Kakashi's dogs around him. From his Roots experience he could be up all night without a blink so he was still up and looking for Sasuke. His original mission was to kill Sasuke, but he had gotten to attached to the rest of team seven, so he instead it was his goal to help reunite Sasuke with Naruto and Sakura. He had called Sakura a hag, he had challenged Naruto's masculinity, but.. Now? They where friends, good friends in fact.

He sighed as he ran through the woods quickly as one of the dogs picked up Sasuke's scent stronger than before, and shortly afterwards, they where at the same spot Naruto had left, picking up the scent of both Sakura's and Naruto's blood. The other dog found Naruto's scent and Sai's emotionless face registered regret. He ran off with his two small terriers, looking for Naruto and Sakura.

What had Sasuke done to them? Was the first thought that went through his mind. The amount of blood was small, perhaps it was just a small confrontation. His thoughts wandered around, jumping to conclusions of Sasuke killing them, of him hurting 'the hag'. The thought of Sasuke killing Naruto with his katana, stabbed Naruto through his chest ran through Sai's mind.

Sai's eyes narrowed as he saw something in front of him. One of the dogs let out a gruff bark. "Naruto is up ahead." He said in a very low tone.

Sai let out a sigh or relief and called out. "Naruto! Slow down!"

Naruto turned around, his bright orange jacket flapping in the wind. The straps of his black forehead protector flapped behind him as well, making a black trail of what seemed to be ribbons. He grabbed on to a tree branch and flipped over it, stopping a bit higher up in the tree.

Sai jumped to Naruto side and let out a sigh. "They found traces of your blood. Are you ok?" He asked, trying to keep his tone emotionless like he was taught.

Naruto looked at his hand. "My fault, but Sakura is bleeding. She's with Sasuke. He might have taken her hostage, we need to find her before he kills her or tries anything stupid." He told him as they both started to run side by side.

Sai looked around. "Where are Hinata and Yamato? Aren't they supposed to be with you?" he asked, slightly confused. That's what Kakashi-sensei had said to them... Because of the Jinchuuriki inside of him.

Naruto sighed. "I couldn't wait for them to sleep. I need to see Sasuke and we need to find him now. I'm glad I couldn't sleep! Sakura-chan is in trouble and we need to find her!" Naruto said confidently, looking up ahead of him.

Sai nodded and looked forward. "Right! Off to find the coward and the hag!" He said, going back to the nicknames he often used for them. Not that he knew Sasuke, but he called him a coward for running off and trying to kill his 'best friend'.

—

Sakura fell asleep on Sasuke's shoulder and he looked down at her and smiled. He kissed her forehead and continued to look up at the sky. He didn't know what to do, say, think or act. Sure, he in his own way cared for Sakura, but at the same time, he felt pressured to loving her. She said I love you... What could he do? Not say it back. He sighed. It was all very confusing to him. He did care for her, he knew that. He wanted to return to Konoha with her, he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to be with her. But... that promise.

He promised Sakura he would come back alive after fighting Itachi. But..What if he couldn't? He didn't want to die fighting Itachi, but he thought that it was entirely possible. That's why he needed team Hebi. To survive the fight. Karin's abilities to fight where a mystery to him. Her purpose was pure tracking, Suigetsu was defense and offense, Juugo was used in whichever personality he was in, and Sasuke was the leader that brought it all together and made it all worth it and delivered most of the blows to kill his brother.

He had grown to know his companions over the time they spent together. They where all different, and they all brought something new to the table. He liked that.

Suigetsu was funny and really great to be around. He loved to bet and make money. He was also an animal lover and loved cats the most. He wasn't really into dogs, but he did lecture him once on killing Manda.

Sasuke really had no choice. It was either summon Manda, or die. He choose to live and sacrifice the snake. However the disadvantage was he couldn't summon her when fighting Orochimaru.

Besides his sense of humor, Suigetsu had a string of personal jokes he quite often annoyed Karin with. The two together where a riot to watch. They were almost always bickering, and Karin was almost always trying to hit on Sasuke, and some of Suigetsu's jokes prevented that. He smirked slightly. He liked that. Suigetsu was really good at fighting and he was fun to spar with. While waiting or bored, the two would go at a small fight, no weapons, just to work up a sweat.

Juugo was very quiet and usually kept to himself. He muttered to himself at times, and when the 'curse seal' which originated in his DNA activated, he would go absolutely start raven mad and start to talk about what was better, men or women. Of course, he meant to kill.

He had only switched personalities once in their company and it ended in Sasuke and Suigetsu having to save Karin, who didn't find it as funny as Suigetsu did. Juugo decided women where better this time and decided to attack Karin when she was taking a shower. Needless to say, Karin was very much embarrassed and locked herself in her room for the remainder of the way and until around noon the next day.

Karin... was hard to explain. She was in Sasuke's mind defiantly bipolar. She was happy one minute and screaming the next. Suigetsu had a lot to do with that fact, but she was really off. When they met she refused to go with them in Suigetsu's presence, but agreed when alone with Sasuke. Also, he noticed that when her glasses came off, she was very sweet and a lot more flirtatious.

In addition to Karin's ever changing personalities, she was also a fan girl and wanted more than anything for Sasuke to like her. Sasuke appreciated her help, but a relationship was the last thing he wanted before Itachi's death. He liked Karin just fine when she was a good distance away from him, but... When she was up against him, feeling him up, it didn't just make him uncomfortable, but it made him feel like a jerk when he had to tell her to 'back the hell off me'.

Sasuke turned his head to look at Sakura's beautiful sleeping face. She was so breathtaking while asleep. It made him smile at her and he kissed her cheek once more. "I love you Sakura..." he muttered into the darkness. She wasn't awake to hear him, but he liked saying it. It felt good to say and made his heart seem to lighten up.

He looked back up at the stars and then put his hand under her head and slid her off of him. She curled up near where he was and her eyes moved, but didn't open. She was still fast asleep.

Sasuke sighed and walked off into the woods. It sucked having to piss when had just gotten close to her and slightly drowsy. He walked off into the woods a ways, went to the bathroom and then walked back. He yawned and closed his eyes as he did so, not really paying attention. He wasn't expecting Sakura to move.

Sakura woke up when she heard Sasuke walk off and then closed her eyes, still exhausted. She turned over a while later, and caught something in one of her legs.

Sasuke felt something get caught between his feet, his eyes shot open and he fell over, landing on something soft. His hands hit the ground as a natural defense to protect his head and he let a small gasp escape his lips. "Sakura?" he asked, seeing her leaf green eyes shoot open as well. "I..." He said, trying to think of an excuse for laying directly on top of her.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, going to push off of her. When he heard her whisper back to him. "It's ok." Her hand crept up and touched his cheek, holding it in her hand as her shocked expression turned to a smile.

"It's ok, Sasuke-kun." She repeated smiling at him.

Sasuke looked down at her and smiled slightly. He leaned down and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. He continued to kiss her, not paying attention to anything else around them. Nothing else seemed to be there. He heard the fire crackling wood, but he did nothing about it. He couldn't help but smile into their kisses this time.

Sakura smiled into the kiss as well. When she left to find Sasuke, she expected to have to fight him and drag him back, not having him falling on top of her and end up kissing her sweetly like he was.

Sasuke's arms went up her body and wrapped around her as well as he could form his position on top of her.

**Sakura feels so warm... (As always, Sasuke in bold) **

_Sasuke-kun is so warm... (Sakura in Italics)_

**She's so beautiful...**

_He's so handsome._

**I can't believe this...**

_He's laying on top of me!_

**She's enjoying this...**

_This is awesome..._

**So am I come to think of it...**

_I wonder if he's enjoying this... _

**I wonder what she'll do if I...**

_What just touched my lips!?_

**She didn't even realize it?**

_Oh my god! It was his tongue!_

**Let's try again...**

_He wants me to open my mouth..._

**Will she?**

_I did!_

**I knew she'd like that...**

He's french kissing me!

**She's so perfect for this...**

_He's SO good at this..._

**She's nervous I can feel her sweating.**

_Damn it! I'm sweating aren't I?_

**I could careless...**

_Does he care?!_

**She's so warm...**

_He feels so relaxed..._

**She's... running her hands up my chest?**

_He's so strong. I can feel his abs. _

**She's perfect for me...**

_He's perfect for me!_

**Her hands are in my hair...**

_I love the feel of his hair. _

**That feels so good...**

_His hair is so soft!_

**I want more...**

_He stopping kissing me?_

**I wonder what she'll do...**

_He's kissing my neck!?_

**She tastes so good...**

_His tongue moves so fast..._

**I love her...**

_I love him..._

**She's perfect...**

_He's perfect for me..._

**Hmm? What if I?**

_He's biting my neck..._

**She moaned!**

_It feels so good. _

**She looks flushed...**

_I'm blushing again aren't I?!_

**Haha... She's so cute...**

_Oh no... he just laughed..._

**Her body stiffened...**

_Is he mad at me?_

Sakura pushed him away slightly and he looked down at her. Sasuke rested his head on his hand. His elbow was on the ground beside her and he smiled. "Something wrong?" He asked, not wanting her to stop him.

"You laughed..." She said in a small voice. "Sasuke-kun I'm sorry.." She looked down and blushed vibrantly. "I didn't mean to I-"

Sasuke put his hands onto her lips and shushed her. "It's ok, Sakura. I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at how cute you are." He told her, taking his hand off her lips. "Don't worry about it." he muttered, leaning back down and starting to kiss her again.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and putting her hands through his hair. She was really happy now. He liked her! More than anything. He promised to come back to her! Life was _so_ good! This is what she always wanted; to be Uchiha Sakura! She blushed at the thought of marrying him and felt his hands travel up her sides.

Sasuke smirked as his hands started to approach her chest. He wondered what she was going to do. His hand crossed her waist and he felt her shift slightly under him. He laughed into their kiss, but it was muffled by their lips pushing against one another. He came up a bit higher and went to the zipper on her shirt. He started to pull it down and he couldn't help but smile wider as he did so.

—

Naruto looked at the three dogs before them. The two that where with Sai and the one that came with him. Their noses where moving fast, rushed by the threat of Sakura's injury and the rush of having her alone with Sasuke. She was in so much danger around him. She was in a lot of trouble. He had forgotten everything about team seven and he was a killer.

Sai hadn't really ever trusted Sasuke. But Naruto and Sakura wanted him back, and as their friend he was obligated to bring him back. He was defying orders from Roots, but he was doing what was right by him, and that's all he expected from himself. But now? If Sasuke was hurting Sakura, he would kill him without a second thought.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. He was so worried about Sakura. He still liked her, and he wanted to be with her. Well... As much as he could anyway. He liked her far more when he was younger. He was way more immature then, but now, he knew he would win her over because she didn't love Sasuke as much.

The dogs heads suddenly bolted up. "We found them! They're just up ahead." The one that was with Naruto said. He ran off faster ahead of them, closely followed by Sai and Naruto.

Naruto ran ahead of the dogs. He could now sense Sasuke's chakra, it seemed to be masking Sakura's. Did he already get to her? Was she already dying? Or was it just because he was so strong? Naruto bit his lip and then ran off with Sai right beside him.

He ran faster looking at Sai. "If he's attacking her or she's dying, no thinking, just attack him with me. No questions, just kill him." he said sighing. "We can't let him get away with hurting Sakura-chan." He sighed slightly. Sasuke was his best friend and he didn't want to hurt him, but at the same time he couldn't let him get away with killing Sakura.

Sai nodded in Naruto's direction. "Understood. I don't need to be told an order twice." he told him, looking straight forward. He was trained to kill in a heart beat and he knew that he could do it with ease. He heard of Sasuke's power, but he doubted that Sasuke could beat the and Naruto together.

—

Karin glared at Suigetsu. "Come on lazy! He's not to far away!" She said, glaring at him slightly. "Please... once we find him and we talk him to coming back you can rest all the way back ok? Then I'll get you that stupid kitten you wanted."

Suigetsu smiled at Karin and walked beside her. "You obsess about Sasuke too much Karin. He's not interested in you romantic. He's not the only guy out there you know." he said, sighing. "Just give him up." he advised.

Karin glared up at him. "Shut up!" She yelled. "He will love me he just doesn't know it yet!" She objected, mad that he just insulted her in such a way. She crossed her arms over her chest and started ti walk with slightly heavier foot steps. Her eyes narrowed behind her dark rimmed glasses. "You're such a jerk!" She yelled, punching him. "I hate you!"

Suigetsu's eyes also narrowed and he grabbed Karin's hand in warning. "Don't hit me." he warned, annoyed. "I will hit you back." he warned, throwing her hand away from him.

"You'd hit a girl?" She asked, glaring at him slightly. "You're are a pansy..." She said dully. "And you know nothing about Sasuke-kun."

Suigetsu grabbed her and slammed her into a tree. She cried out in shock and looked up at him, truly afraid of what he was about to do to her. "Suigetsu..." She muttered, looking up at the taller man above her.

Sighing, Suigetsu let her go. He didn't mean to scare her. He just wanted to make a point. "Karin trust me.. Sasuke is like my best friend. He talks to me and I just want to tell you before you get your heart broken..." he said, thinking that Sasuke was in love with, as Karin put it, the "cherry headed girl." He looked over at her as she started to walk again. She was so... weird. Why did she like him? There were other men around her? Why didn't she notice them? He sighed and returned to her side as they walked.

Karin side glanced at Suigetsu and wondered why he did that to her and what he was trying to gain out of it. She was in shock. She had never had a man do that to her. No one hd ever dared restraining her in such a way. She sighed and looked forward once more.

"Karin.. I'm sorry." Suigetsu said, having seeing the gaze of her red eyes.

Karin looked up into her amber eyes and felt a tension between them. "It's ok." She said, smiling slightly. She didn't know what else to say. He didn't hurt her, so there was no reason for her to be mad, right?

—

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura sounded, feeling him unzip her shirt. She flushed darker and heard footsteps that he apparently didn't seem to hear. "Sasuke-kun stop!" She said, pushing at him. "Please Sasuke, stop!" She said a bit louder wanting him to hear.

Sasuke grunted in response and stopped unzipping her shirt. He pulled it off her shoulders and then started to kiss her neck, and suck on it slightly.

Sakura pushed at him once more. "Sasuke-kun I mean it stop now!" She demanded, pushing him away. "Sasuke-kun please..."

—

Naruto heard Sakura's voice and her begging. He ran faster and slid into the clearing. His eyes widened. That was the last thing he expected her to see. Sasuke didn't seem the type to rape anyone. He forgot all about their friendship and his blood ran cold. He ran forward and then pulled Sasuke off her and threw him into a tree.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled, zipping up her shirt and running towards him. Sai grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What did he do to you? Are you ok?"

Sakura nodded. "Sai you don't understand! Stop Naruto before he does something stupid!" She pleaded.

Sai glared at her slightly. He saw what Sasuke was doing to her and he knew full well she was only protecting him because she loved him. "He's not worth it, Sakura." he said, his eyes narrowed. "Don't protect him."

Sasuk got up and grabbed his sword from the ground and raised it towards Naruto, threateningly. "What the hell was that?!" Sasuke asked, having not expected his arrival. He should have listened to Sakura when she told him the first time. He was too busy to notice the approaching chakra's.

—

Karin's eyes widened. "Sasuke isn't alone anymore. There are two more people with him." She said, starting to run. "And one of them is flaring chakra, It's a fight." She told him as he ran over to hear to catch up.

Her cloak flailed around her body and Suigetsu's did the same. He looked at Karin and was glad that she had talked him into this. He now sensed the chakra she had mentioned earlier, and strong as Sasuke was. He couldn't face them alone.

"Sasuke!" Suigetsu yelled as he and Karin slid into the clearing.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin seconded, reaching out towards him.

The Jinchuuriki was there along with a Roots member. And _that _girl. Karin's eyes narrowed when she saw Sakura. She did this on purpose! She led him into a trap and now, it was s fight to the death between the Jinchuuriki and Sasuke.

Sai went to run towards Sasuke and attack him from behind, but with one swing of his mighty sword, Suigetsu stopped him and cut Sai's arm, drawing blood. "I am your opponent now..." he said harshly. No one attacked Sasuke from behind. It was a low and pathetic thing to do.

Karin stepped forward and glared at Sakura, telling her without words that they where to do battle. She smirked slightly and adjusted her glasses. The "cherry head" was weak, or had her chakra masked, either way. She was ready for anything.

A sinister breeze blew by them all and it chilled all the warriors that where now standing on the battle field they had created for one another. Three battles where about to begin, best friend VS best friend, rival VS rival, and an acquaintance VS an acquaintance.

Sasuke VS Naruto...

Sakura VS Karin...

Sai Vs Suigetsu...

—

A/N: Hope you liked chapter 3. I added a bit more fluff, but also some drama to go along with it. And it sounds like Suigetsu is jealous of Sasuke :P

Also there is some differences with Karin's appearance. Some say she has black hair and eyes, others say she has red hair and eyes. As much as I WANT her to have black hair and eyes, I have read many sources that say red. Sorry guys!


	4. Race Against Time

'Turning His Heart...'

**Chapter: **3 'Race Against Time'

**A/N:** I couldn't wait to start this chapter! I loved the ending of the last one so much I was like RAWR! MUST WRITE! I was at working thinking, "I wanna go home and write!"

**Beware! There are spoilers of the Manga and Naruto Shippuuden!**

**Summary: **[SasuSaku Sakura finds Sasuke, and almost convince him to come back. he vows to come back after he kills Itachi. However, Naruto and Sai turn up to kill him under unordinary circumstances. How will Sakura fair in her battle again Karin? How will Sasuke?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, _not _me! However, the plot is mine!

**Dictionary:**_Kuso - _Shit

_Chidori - _The lightning jutsu Kakashi taught Sasuke to beat Gaara.

_Rasengan_ - The Fourth Hokage's special jutsu, taught to Naruto by Jiraiya.

_Baba - _Hag. Sai is calling Sakura an old Hag.

_Kuybi_ - the nine tailed fox

_Chikushou_ - Damn

—

**- Chapter 3: -**

The Jinchuuriki was there along with a Roots member. And _that _girl. Karin's eyes narrowed when she saw Sakura. She did this on purpose! She led him into a trap and now, it was a fight to the death between the Jinchuuriki and Sasuke.

Sai tried to attack Sasuke from behind, but with one swing of his mighty sword Suigetsu stopped Sai and cut his arm, drawing blood. "I am your opponent now..." he said harshly. "No one attacks from behind. It was a low and pathetic thing to do."

Karin stepped forward and glared at Sakura, telling her without words that they were to do battle. She smirked slightly and adjusted her glasses. The "cherry head" was weak, or had her chakra masked. Karin was ready for anything.

A sinister breeze blew by them all and it chilled all the warriors that were now standing on the battle field they had created for one another. Three battles where about to begin, best friend VS best friend, rival VS rival, and acquaintance VS acquaintance.

Sasuke VS Naruto...

Sakura VS Karin...

Sai Vs Suigetsu...

**- End Chapter 3: -**

Sasuke sighed and looked over at the angered expression on Naruto's face. His eyes narrowed and he started to recover from the shock of being thrown into the tree so harshly. "What the hell was that?!" He demanded as Naruto took a step or two towards him.

"You tried to rape Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed back at him. "Don't try to deny it, I saw you! She said stop and you refused. Sasuke I knew you where a lot of things, but never a rapist!" He called, his eyes starting to burn, knowing it was his fault that Sakura was put into such danger.

"Naruto listen to me!" Sakura pleaded, still beside Sai. "Sasuke-kun would never try something like that, I just–"

"Don't defend him Sakura I saw what he was trying to do to you!" Naruto yelled, starting to wonder why Sakura liked him so much. "Don't think for even a second that I'll forgive you for what you tried to do to Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You can't rape the willing. And as usual you only see one part of what's happening instead of the whole thing. You're such a loser." He said darkly. "You have no reason to interfere with my business." He told him grudgingly. "But out and get lost!" He demanded, moving towards him. "Unless you want to die that is." He held out his hand and used his chakra to wrap around his sword and summon it. It popped up and floated over to Sasuke and landed into his hand with a slight bumping noise.

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed and he looked at Sai who was ready to fight Suigetsu. He looked back at Sasuke and let out a sigh. He had wanted to bring him back, not kill him. The kyubi's chakra was flaring, making Naruto seem more and more powerful. His eyes returned to normal, instead of their slit like fashion. He sighed. "I don't want to kill you Sasuke." He told him, wondering if what he saw was real.

Sasuke made a noise and ran at him. "You can't back out now, loser!" He called as he appeared in front of him and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Naruto wiped his face and then got up and looked up at Sasuke, kicked him in the chin and sent him flying backwards. "If it's a fight you want it's a fight you'll get! I'm stronger than you now!" Naruto yelled up at him as he wiped a bit of blood from his lip.

Sasuke chuckled to himself and did the quick seal for his fire jutsu, called out the name and fire came from his lips and blew it at Naruto, setting the immediate area around him on fire. He smirked and watched the flames around Naruto burn intensely.

Naruto jumped out of the center of the flames and jumped up towards Sasuke, his eyes now red from the nine tail fox's possession of him. He was using the chakra of the nine tailed fox now to kill Sasuke. This fight was one to the death.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, trying to run over to him.

Sakura was stopped by a tree falling before her and Karin smiled over at her. "I don't think so hun, Sasuke-kun is mine!" she said, Karin's red eyes narrowing towards her. "He's not interested in you."

Sakura glared in return. "He told me he loved me! Shows how much you know, bitch!" Sakura screamed. She hated this girl, she loved to talk smack like she knew anything about Sasuke anyway! Sakura looked around and then picked up the tree and swung it at Karin who jumped backwards into the trees.

Karin could build up large amounts of chakra, but it took her a longer amount of time, and gave a disadvantage. She was strong, but needed time to consol her chakra into an attack.

Sakura however, could gather up all her chakra at once, which made her slightly stronger in a way. Karin knew she had to keep her distance in order to win this fight. Karin did a hand seal for a lightning jutsu, which was stronger than Sakura and then put her arm down gathering the chakra in order to attack Sakura with it.

Her tracking ability was the ability her clan was known for. She could find anything anywhere on Earth, it wasted no chakra and was a major ability that got her onto Team Hebi.

She sensed Sakura coming up from behind her and appeared farther away, backing up to gather the chakra for the attack to take Sakura out. She was planning on hitting her in the chest or in the stomach to make her fall and unable to get back up. Small bolts of lightning started to shoot from her hands as she gathered the jutsu.

This jutsu was similar to Chidori, but was different by the fact that Karin could shoot it long range like a lightning bolt. Her hand had to be held steady by the other and she could shoot up to five times with over 100,000 volts in one shot.

Sakura groaned. She had no idea any of Karin's abilities or her battle style. The only thing she did know was that she was important enough for Sasuke to put her on a team. She groaned slightly and then closed her eyes and leaned against a tree thinking. Karin had to be gathering chakra for an attack, she could sense the chakra, but Karin always seemed to be three steps in front of her.

She needed to get close to Karin in order to inflict massage amounts of damage and end the fight so she could get to Sasuke and stop him and Naruto from fighting. Sakura ran forward and started to follow the chakra from Karin's jutsu.

Karin sensed her coming closer and started to move all around the woods, using minimal amounts of chakra as she did so to channel all of it into the attack. She looked around, trying to find a place where she could trap Sakura. She stopped and leaned against the tree, getting ready to fire the first bolt towards her. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She moved her glasses up with her left hand and then braced her right hand with her left and held it outwards.

A huge high powered bolt came from the glowing chakra in her hand and went towards Sakura, cutting her and missing her side, but not delivering anything fatal. It was out of pure luck that Karin hit because Sakura was running forward.

Sakura jumped to the ground and looked around. She found the tree's roots and punched it, making the tree Karin was standing in shatter.

Karin stumbled, grabbed a tree branch with her left hand and jumped into another tree and vanished, trying to gather more chakra for the next attack. She fired the first one too soon, which took more chakra then necessary.

Sakura's eyes scanned through the woods, trying to find Karin. How did she know where she was ever single time? Was it her chakra? Sakura still had no idea of Karin's tracking abilities, she just knew that Karin could find her, which made her guess that she was following her chakra levels. Sakura masked her chakra slightly, and then ran back into the woods, looking to find Karin once again, this time, aiming to hit her in the face and take her out once and for all.

Naruto looked towards where Sakura and Karin were fighting, forgetting about his own for a brief moment. He bit her lip, worried. If Karin was picked by Sasuke fort his own team to kill Itachi, she had to be powerful. He knew Sasuke chose her for a reason and he wondered if Sakura could hold her own. He felt the ground shake, and knew Sakura had hit it. He smirked. Sakura could definitely handle herself.

Naruto turned back around just as Sasuke jumped out of the trees and ran at him. Sasuke made it to Naruto in seconds and then raised his fist and punched him in the face, but got a punch in his own at the same time. Both the raven and blonde haired teens flew backwards into two different trees.

Sasuke stood up and wiped his face. "You're stronger than before." He told him, smirking slightly. He had to admit Naruto had gotten stronger. "Too bad it will all end in your death!" He said, getting up scattering the small amounts of pebbles and debris that had fallen on him

Naruto did the same and ran towards his former best friend and raised his hand, going to punch him again. They always had more of physical fights then anything else. They used jutsu every once and a while, but for the most part, they used taijutsu.

Sai slid through the grass and put his hand behind him, pulling out his sword, blocking the attack of Suigetsu's giant weapon. Suigetsu facial expression turned to a smile as he thought of how he could kill Sai.

"I'm going to chop off your arm and then a leg off first!" he told him, happily. "Then once you can't move I'll cut off your remaining limbs before getting rid of your head and watching you slowly bleed to death as your body twitches as your final drops of blood drip free from your body." Suigetsu told him confidently.

"You wish.." Sai said simply. He hated talking during a battle. It was just too troublesome to do really. He blocked another swing of Suigetsu's mighty blade and then let out a small sigh of regret. Why did he have to fight the psycho one?

Karin's eyes narrowed as she ran towards Sakura again. When she glared it made it easier for her to see. She had trouble with distance, which was the problem her glasses corrected, however, there were some parts she could see around that weren't perfect. Karin saw Sakura jump behind a tree and she appeared behind her, able to see her location anywhere she went through her well known tracking abilities and shot her third lightning bolt at her.

This bolt stronger than the first two, nicked the side of Sakura's face and left a trail of blood going down it, along with a chilling feeling. Sakura raised her fist and went to punch Karin, missing her and hitting the tree beside her instead.

Sakura was getting tired now. No matter how hard she tried, hitting Karin was exceedingly difficult. It was like she could read her mind, predict her moves or know what she was going to do and it was infuriating! She looked up at Karin, who still had a smug look on her face. She ran towards her, faster this time and then went to punch her in the gut. She missed, but hit her left hip, sending her flying into a tree, slamming her head into it and almost losing her jutsu.

_Kuso! _Inner Sakura screamed. _Get that bitch good!_

Sakura rolled her eyes. _Why are you here? Get lost, I don't need you!_

_Yes you do! _Inner Sakura chanted. _Now kick her ass and kick it good!_

Sakura forced Inner Sakura out of her head and then sighed and went back to trying to hit Karin, most of her attempts ending unsuccessfully.

Naruto ran up into a tree and started to gather a ball of chakra into his hand, summoning Rasengan. Sasuke was doing the same, summoning all his chakra into Chidori.

Sai raised his sword and cut Suigetsu's arm, which was inflated with water, making it easier for him to hold up the heavy weapon.

Water dripped from the wound mixed with small amounts of blood. Suigetsu's amber eyes narrowed and he growled slightly and went to once again attack Sai. He jumped behind him and cut his back, ripping his skin tight shirt.

Sai's eyes narrowed and then ducked as he saw a bolt of lightning fly towards himself and Suigetsu.

Suigetsu turned his face, to get a few hairs burned by Karin's attack and he looked over at her as she vanished once more into the trees. He blocked Sai's attack and then yelled, "Karin tone it down! You almost hit me!"

"Sorry!" She called, apologizing for the first time ever.

Suigetsu smiled to himself as he and Sai once again went back into their battle. Karin had apologized to him instead of starting a fight. NOW they're getting some where! One thing was for sure, he'd never let her live it down!

Naruto finished consoling his chakra to form Rasengan and he immediately started to run towards Sasuke. Coincidently, Sasuke had also finished gathering up the chakra needed for the attack and he started to run towards Naruto at the same time, ready to for the hit to kill.

Sai and Suigetsu slowed slightly, seeing the blinding light and stopped fighting. They knew that this was now between their "leaders". They wanted to see the outcome of the fight in all honesty and didn't want to waste the chakra of fighting one another any longer.

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the two jump forward to attack one another. She stopped trying to attack Karin and ran towards the two.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura screamed, seeing them running at one another, hands backwards, Sasuke's holding Chidori, Naruto's flashing Rasengan. The light coming from the extensive chakra was blinding. They were both using it as a hit to kill one another, like the last hit of the fight that had been so many years ago when they fought at the waterfall. Sasuke's and Naruto's voices roared the words, "Chidori" and "Rasengan", blended together.

Karin slid into Sakura's path, summoning her chakra to shoot her fifth and final lightning wave at her. Sakura raised her hand, gathering as much chakra as she could and then punched her in the face with all the force she could muster to get her out of the way.

_Ha! _Inner Sakura thought. _Who wins Sasuke-kun now?! ME! _Sakura continued to run and slid between them. She saw Sasuke's eyes widened as she faced him, back towards Naruto. Sasuke kicked off the ground and jumped backwards, while punching Chidori into the ground, sending shockwaves everywhere.

Naruto however, didn't see Sakura until it was too late. He forced Rasengan into her back and drove it almost completely through her stomach. "SAKURA!" He bellowed as she fell forward, blood billowing out onto the surrounding ground. He leaned forward to catch her but she was already in Sasuke's arms.

"BAKA!" Sasuke yelled, rolling Sakura over so she was looking up at him. "Sakura?" he asked pleadingly begging for her to be alive. Of course the only medical ninja was hurt? Isn't life just a fucking bitch?

He leaned close to her and heard her cough and then saw blood coming from the corners of her mouth, dripping onto his shirt and the ground. She leaned her head on his chest and the blood started to trail down her neck. "SAKURA!" He yelled once more, starting to get scared. He felt his heart rate speed up as her emerald green eyes opened.

"Sasuke-kun... I'm sorry..." She muttered, closing her eyes, her body going limp. Sasuke rested her legs on the ground and unzipped the top part of her shirt to put two fingers on her neck. Her heart was still beating.

"We need to get to the nearest village." He said standing up. His mind started to race, but he didn't care at all. All he wanted to do was make sure Sakura was safe, make sure she would live to see him kill Itachi. He promised to come back to Konoha, but without her, nothing wasn't worth it.

"The nearest village is Konoha..." Sai said with a glare towards Sasuke. "I don't see why she tried to save you after you tried to rape her." He told him in a nasty tone.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You can't rape the willing. She only told me to stop because she heard you and I didn't. She's the one that tripped me. Ask her when she wakes up if you don't believe me!" He demanded, scooping her up.

"We don't have time to fight, she'll die." He said, pulling off his shirt and purple belt. He wrapped it around her waist and tied it off to stop the blood loss. "Hurry up we need to get to Konoha and fast before she really does die." He said, jumping off into the tree tops. He would never forgive himself if she died. It was his fault. He was the one fighting, even if he never hurt her directly.

—

Suigetsu caught Karin as she fell and held her close to his chest as her head fell to the side, blood spattering on his chest. His eyes widened. "Karin!?" He asked, getting slightly frightened. He loved picking on her... He didn't want her to die. What would he do for entertainment? He'd die of boredom! He picked her up and looked over as Sai badmouthed Sasuke a bit. "Sasuke's not that type... She's obsessed with him, I heard all about it." He said, standing up with Karin in his arms.

"And your obsessed with her." Sai said, reading Suigetsu's concern for Karin as love. "Sakura is the only one we care about. She can die." He said, not caring a bit about Karin or Sasuke; for that matter. But he did know Sasuke had a point. If they didn't do something soon, Sakura would in fact die.

"That's not true." Suigetsu screamed, standing up. "I don't love her! She's my subject. If I don't have someone to pick on my life gets boring. She's a bitch and she pisses me off, I'd never care about her."

Suigetsu's face went to the side and he put Karin's leg's down to hold his hand against his face. He rubbed the slight red hand mark. She slapped him?!

"Asss..." Karin muttered, starting to go out of it again. "I-I sswwear I killl youu foor thaaat.." She said, her words all slurred together, not making much sense as she spoke. Her words were in fragments. Suigetsu took the glasses off her face; her pupils were wide and he knew there was something wrong with her. She had never slapped him before, she had always punched him, she had no reason to slap him. She coughed a few times and then leaned to the side and vomited onto the ground beside him.

Surprised, Suigetsu let her go as she retched. Why was she sick after being struck, he examined; reasoning that she had a head injury. "Karin?" He asked, putting his hand on her back and holding her slightly. "You feeling okay?" he questioned, starting to get nervous.

Karin nodded and looked over at him. Her head moved limply as if she had no control. She coughed again, but didn't throw up. "Myyy hheaad hurrtsss ssooo mmmuuch." She said, leaning her head into his chest and closing her eyes. "Mmy leggs arrrre nuummb." She said as he pulled her into his arms and stood up, her head nodding off gently on his chest.

He saw her eyes close and he shook her slightly. "Karin!" He yelled, as he stood up. "Fuck off!" He yelled, running after Sasuke and catching up quickly, used to Sasuke's pace by this time. "Sasuke... they have to let me into that village. Karin's going to die." He said, biting his lip, nervously because she was ever loyal to Orochimaru and Konoha hated him for killing the third.

"Please say they will!" Suigetsu pleaded. He knew she'd die just as quickly as Sakura. He guessed she had some kind of head trauma, which was just as deadly. Sakura had a great amount of Chakra control, he had seen how Sakura could destroy the ground. He looked down at her and then back at Sasuke. "Kuso, Answer me!"

Sasuke looked back at him. "Karin isn't my priority Suigetsu." He said, keeping his voice even, knowing if he panicked she'd die. A ninja was never to show emotion at a time like this. "You can pass the guards with me. They couldn't stop me even if they tried." He said, looking at him. "Calm down, she'll live." he said, looking down at Sakura.

Sasuke sensed two more chakra presences move towards them and Naruto was beside him in seconds. "Sasuke..." He said, not knowing what else to say. "You're returning to Konoha?" He asked, watching him, unsure whether it was a good idea after what he had attempted. Than why would Sakura defend him? She was in love but she wasn't stupid. She had enough power to force him off. Did she really want him off. "Sasuke tell me what happened."

"I fell on top of her and she told me not to get off. Then I kissed her. Then I started to kiss down her neck. She must have heard you because I sure as hell didn't. She told me to get off and I figured she was just being modest so I didn't stop. You've seen the damage she can inflict, if I was hurting her she would have stopped me. She loved me but she wouldn't let me rape her and you know it..." he trailed off, knowing if he had just gotten up this never would have happened. "But as much as I hate to say it. It is my fault. If I would have just stopped we wouldn't have fought and she'd be ok..."

Naruto stared at him. He was the one that hit her, why did Sasuke feel guilty? He felt bad as well, probably more so then Sasuke. He thought the worst of Sasuke, and didn't listen to Sakura begging him to listen to her. If he had, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. "No Sasuke, this is my fault... And I might cost you Sakura.. I'm sorry." he said, looking away. He had to face the fact, this was the one thing Sasuke would always beat him at – Sakura.

Naruto sensed chakra, rapid amounts of it approaching fast. He looked behind them. "Sasuke!" he said, starting to get nervous. Who the hell was tracking them now!? He groaned and looked behind him. "Who is that?" he asked, clueless.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Itachi..." he muttered. "Chikushou!" He said, looking behind him. "Screw it, we need to get to Konoha before Itachi catches up." he said, forgetting about revenge. Sakura was his one and only priority, he could fight Itachi after she was safe and in the village. Itachi would target her if given the chance and he knew it. He looked behind them. What did he want? To test Sasuke's new strength?

Naruto's eye widened. "Your brother?" He asked, startled. Akatsuki was after him. They must have waited until he was alone and didn't have anyone with him. He looked behind them. They were a

ways behind them, but with their strength, they would catch up in no time. "We need to find a way

to slow them down." He said, trying to think of something practical.

Sasuke started to think. "Did you come out here alone? You and... whoever the hell _he_ is." Sasuke said, in reference to Sai. He looked around the woods. They could teleport, but Konoha was a few hours away. Time they didn't have. Sakura was losing blood fast, and Sasuke knew that once Itachi saw it, they would follow the trail. He sighed and stopped, everyone else doing the same.

"Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, looking at him. He was confused. Karin needed the same amount of help Sakura did, if not more. Needless to say, he cared nothing about Sakura. He groaned. "Sasuke we don't have time for this!"

Sasuke nodded. "I know that." he said, looking at Naruto. He handed Sakura off to him gently. "You." He demanded of Sai. "Bring Karin to Konoha, you save her life and Suigetsu and I will take care of Itachi and Kisame." He said, knowing this was the only way. An ambush. "Akatsuki wants the Jinchuuriki inside of Naruto. He needs to run, he can't fight just in case they take him." he said, taking a step back. "Promise me something, loser." he told Naruto smiling at him slightly. "Promise me you'll save them both." he said, looking down at Sakura. He knew Naruto still cared for her.

Naruto smiled at Sasuke and lower Sakura onto the tree. He stood up and raised his hand. "Promise me you'll come back alive?" he asked, smirking. He bumped knuckles with him, just like old times.

Sasuke nodded. "I promised her I'd come back alive, and I'll promise you the same thing. I'll come back." he said, smiling still. "You save her, I'll come back for her." He said, turning. "Suigetsu, give Karin to him." he said, gesturing towards Sai.

Sai shook his head. "I'm not saving her. I don't even know her!" He said, his face registering nothing.

Naruto looked at him. "Sai please, just bring her with us!" He demanded. "In exchange for helping them they'll keep Akatsuki away from us!" He told him, pleadingly. "Sai please we don't have time for this, they're catching up just take her!"

Sai watched Naruto inquisitively. "So... this is what a friend would do?" He asked, confused.

Naruto nodded. "A friend would do this, yes." he said, smiling at him. "Please Sai, just take her!"

Sai reached out to take Karin but Suigetsu didn't let her go. "No.. I don't trust you. You'll let her die." He said defensively, holding Karin closer to his chest.

Sasuke grabbed his shoulder. "Naruto always keeps his word. Even if he dies, he will make sure Sai saves her. She'll die if you persist much further." he said, pulling him backwards. "Now Suigetsu!"

Suigetsu handed Karin off to Sai and watched him. "I'm counting on you..." he said, backing up. "Ok let's go!" He said, running off with Sasuke. "Sasuke.. Do you really trust them?" he asked, gulping.

Turning to face him, Sasuke nodded. "I trust Naruto, and 'Sai' seems to trust Naruto's judgement. I think we can trust them. But for now, we have to find Juugo, double back and get to my brother before he finds Naruto." he told him as they ran backwards. "But I think Juugo won't made it into this battle. Looks like it will be me and Itachi, and you and Kisame. I believe their together." he said, sensing two chakra levels. "Which is what you wanted, right?"

Suigetsu nodded. "Right.." He said, sighing. "Sasuke is Karin dies..." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. What could he say?

Sasuke smirked at him. "You need to tell her." he said, as he ran faster to pick up the pace to find his brother. He had been waiting for this for a long time.

"Don't think I don't remember what you said just because we got drunk." he said, laughing slightly. "We had the leather and lace conversation and then we talked about Karin for a while. I remember some of it, but I remember when you said you-"

"It is so important to your future that you not finish that sentence." Suigetsu said, glaring at him. "We talked about Sakura too, and I know you love her, just knock it off ok? She likes you." he said, looking forward. It's almost like Sasuke was rubbing it in his face that Karin wasn't interested in him.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "She just likes me because of my name. Uchiha." He said, looking around. The chakra of Itachi and Kisame were growing fainter and Sasuke's eyes widened. He was now really confused. They were running towards them a minute ago. They must have changed directions!

"Suigetsu! They're headed for Naruto and that guy with Karin! We need to get to them before Itachi and Kisame do." He grabbed his friend's arm and ran off towards the directions they had just come in. His eyes widened and he ran quicker. "Fuck! This is never going to work. They'll beat us there." He said, starting to get tired. He sent chakra to his feet and got a burst of speed, pulling Suigetsu with him.

"Woah woah! Slow down dude!" Suigetsu sounded, trying to keep up with Sasuke's pace. He was already tired from his sword, it was heavy and it was hard for him to drag it around all the time. He still hadn't adjusted to the weight difference, but he'd do anything to save Karin.

—

"Naruto.. Why did you agree to save this girl?" Sai asked as he ran, adjusting Karin in his arms. "Can I please just drop her?" he asked, moving her more, her head moving limply. "This really sucks." he said, yawning. "I hate this."

Naruto shook his head. "No Sai please don't drop her. Sasuke's my best friend, and she's on his team, just like Sakura is with us. How would you like it if Sasuke let Sakura die?" he asked. He landed down on a tree and jumped back up into the air as he ran through the treetops. He sensed the chakra coming closer. Did they kill Sasuke and his new friend?

Biting his lip, Naruto started to get nervous. What if Sasuke was dying somewhere? He was scared. He sighed and closed his eyes, but opened them quickly to void running into anything. "Fuck off..." Naruto said, swearing for the first time in a while. "This sucks so much. What if Sakura gets hurt or dies because of Akatsuki?" He asked Sai, getting even more worried then before.

Sai shrugged. "They won't catch up if we keep running at this pace. We're pacing ourselves and they're running as fast as they can to catch up. They'll get tired faster than us." He said, smirking. "Trust me Naruto, Sakura-baba will be fine." He said smirking at him.

Naruto came down onto a tree breach as they ran. He looked around and then started to sense the chakra coming closer and he was starting to think that sai was wrong. He looked around slightly, trying to catch a scent. Because of the Kyubi he had a stronger sense of smell than most, but it was still nothing in comparison to Kiba.

Sai looked around. He sensed them getting close. How could they go this fast and not get tired? It was amazing, even Sai was getting slightly, and he was in Roots. He groaned and looked behind them where the chakra was coming from. They where approaching faster still and Naruto started to go faster and Sai followed his lead. This would have been a lot easier if they weren't carrying about 100 extra pounds.

They both sighed and stopped a moment to rest, laying the girls down on the tree. They both took a drink of water, knowing that they needed to stop. They were a few hours in front, and five minutes wouldn't make much difference. Naruto closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree. "This sucks..."

Sai nodded even though Naruto couldn't see it and took a drink from his water bottle. "Big time." He responded, closing his eyes and relaxing for a few minutes. His thoughts wandered to Sasuke and what they had seem him doing to Sakura. If they wouldn't have shown up, what would have happened. Sasuke said he didn't want to stop, so... would he have? Would he have raped Sakura if she said no then. His dark eyes opened and he looked at Sakura's body. He stood up and picked up Karin. "We should go now, Naruto."

Naruto opened his eyes and nodded. He knew their rest was over. He picked up Sakura into his strong arms and ran off with her. "Come on Sai. We need to hurry. Their gaining fast."

Sai nodded his head once and ran off quickly. They looked back into the trees as his eyes widened. "NO... they're now about two hours behind us! They where four a few minutes ago?! What happened?!"

Sai looked up at the sky. "I think we fell asleep.." He said biting his cheek. "Kuso. We're screwed now. Where are Sasuke and Suigetsu!? Aren't they supposed to be stalling?!"

Naruto started to get nervous. What if they caught up? Sakura would die for sure. He sighed and looked down at his cloths. He was covered in blood from Sakura and he was starting to get nervous. "Sai she's losing a lot of blood, and fast..." He trailed off, not wanting or needing to say more. Sai nodded and the two of them ran even faster towards Konoha.

—

Itachi and Kisame where sitting in trees, Kisame behind Itachi on a lower branch. A smirk was on his blue sinister face. "This is great." he said as he looked up at his partner. "Itachi-san." He called to get his attention. Itachi very rarely spoke to anyone unless given a reason to. Both their hands where in the standard ram hand seal; both hands together, middle and index finders pointing upwards, the right hand above the left.

They were sitting. Waiting. For who? The Kyubi of course. The nine tailed fox, their one and only target that would complete their goals and would bring the search of the beasts to an end. The duo of disaster was sitting and waiting about an hour and a half's travel from Konoha in wait for the Kyubi to attempt to go home.

"Yes Kisame?" Itachi responded, his eyes still closed. He was concentrating.

"Have you stopped your double form attacking them?" Kisame questioned, going to do the same as Itachi.

Itachi lowered his hands and took them apart. "Yes. I suppose. The kyubi is coming towards us, no point in wasting our chakra to maintain the dolls any longer." He said, shrugging slightly. He leaned against the tree. "Conserve your chakra, and hide it well." He said, looking towards where Naruto and Sai where heading directly towards them.

Kisame did what Itachi asked. They both completely hid their chakra to a signature of nothing more than a small animal. He yawned slightly. He was bored. He needed for the Kyubi to show up. He was bored and needed something to do. Other then that... he was in a fairly good mood.

He looked up at where Naruto would come from and jumped away, having Kisame jump across from him. A voice came into both their minds. It was none either than Pain, the leader of Akatsuki. "I'm counting on the two of you. Bring back the Kyubi and I will reward you immensely." He said, in his monotonic voice. "Do you both understand? What are you doing now?"

Itachi leaned against a tree. "I understand, Leader. And what is the most important ingredients in a poisoning?" He asked, in his own monotone voice, wondering if Leader knew the answer. Leader was smart, and good at riddles, but didn't have much patience.

"Poison." He said, simply. "Correct?" Pain asked, wondering why Itachi was wasting his time with riddles. "What are you doing?" He asked, a bit of annoyance in his voice. He was telepathic and would speak to them through mind. He had this ability with all of Akatsuki.

"Patience." Itachi corrected. "We're waiting for him. Our trap has been set. There's no way he can get out of it alive." He said with a clever smirk, something he barely ever did. "Trust me... I know we'll get him for sure this time. This plan is flawless." He said happily. "Trust me, they're running towards us."

Kisame's head shot up. "Yes, but there are ninjas behind them, two to be exact. One is strong, and the other I recognize." He said, knowing Suigetsu's chakra signal. "Suigetsu." He said, blinking a few times. "We have it covered leader, don't worry."

"And Sasuke." Itachi added. He stood up from his sitting position and started to reorganize the trap to go off in multiple places. He smiled. This was perfect, absolutely perfect. He was ready for anything, and because of that, he knew that this fight would determined his fate, and it would be Sasuke's final trial. Would he live against the fight, and was he finally strong enough to defeat Itachi and be the avenger Itachi chose him to be.

Kisame smiled at Itachi and then started to help him out with reorganizing the trap before it was too late. They put over 30 positions for it to go off and poison, kill, injure and mane. So far, it had worked with every ninja that had went by.

They reset the trap after the fourth ninja died."It's ready." Kisame said, smirking happily.

—

Sakura drifted back into consciousness. "Sasuke-kun?" She asked. Her head was on his chest and she knew that this wasn't Sasuke's smell. He smelled like the wind. It was slightly weird. He smelled like the wind, like... something like some type of really good smelling body spray. She looked up and saw blonde and then blinked and her vision came back to normal. "Naruto?" She asked, confused. "What happened to Sasuke-kun?!"

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke stayed behind to ward off Akatsuki. Sai and I are saving you and that other girl because we can't let you die and Sasuke asked us to." He declared, faking a smile. "Sakura-chan I'm SO sorry, please forgive me!" He pleaded, looking straight and not at her. "I never meant for that to hit you."

Sakura nodded. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'm not mad at you." She said, smiling at him. "It was a mistake and I forgive you. I shouldn't have gotten in the way, but I didn't want you or Naruto to kill one another. I tripped him and he fell on me... then we kissed. I heard someone and he didn't want to stop. It was my fault." While trying to explain she started healing her waist. She was low on chakra, but she had enough to heal some of it.

Naruto's heart sank. Their stories were almost the same and seeing as they had no time together alone to make one up, he knew it was the true story. He didn't want Sasuke to love Sakura. He instead always wanted Sakura to love him; but Sasuke won Sakura instead. It was just like before and always would be. Naruto would never have Sakura, and Sasuke always would. He sighed and lowered his head slightly. "Sakura-chan, I apologize for not listening to you, attacking Sasuke, everything."

Sakura smiled up at him and closed her eyes. "What's wrong with her?" She asked seeing Sai holding Karin.

Sai rolled his eyes. "She threw up and can't talk. She's just retarded Sakura, don't worry about her, heal yourself." he said, looking at her and smiling a false smile.

Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. "I want to go to sleep." She said, yawning. "I'll have more chakra to heal myself." She said, starting to doze off.

Karin's body twitched slightly, but she didn't wake up. One of her hands started to move. She coughed and then moved in towards Sai's arms nearly making him drop her.

He groaned. "I hate this chick." He said, glaring at her. "I can't believe she tried to take on Sakura." He said, laughing slightly. "Serves her right!" He said as Naruto glared at him. "Sai calm down and be quiet." he said, looking around. "We need to keep running. We're about two hours form Konoha now. This will get us there faster." He said, teleporting a ways in front of them. "Come on! We need to get closer to Konoha."

Sai nodded. "I know already, we can't run any faster than this Naruto and you know it!" he said sighing.

—

Sasuke cursed. "Chikushou, Naruto what the hell, how do they keep getting so far ahead of us. Five steps forward is like twenty steps back!" He yelled, looking at Suigetsu. "My brother has masked his chakra and is hiding somewhere. Which means that the pain in the ass is waiting for Naruto and not me. Which also means that he will _die_ when Itachi finds him!" He said annoyed.

Both he and Suigetsu were near exhausted from their previous fights and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But they both knew that was out of the question. Sasuke was panting lightly and seemed really pissed off. Suigetsu felt the same and just wanted to rest. He got tired from lugging around his sword and the water from his pants, which got heavy quick.

Suigetsu looked forward. "Which means Karin and Sakura will die if we don't get there in time..." He commented, ducking when Sasuke swung at him. "Chikushou. If they die I'll kill someone."

Sasuke smirked at him. "Don't lie. You could care less about what happens to Sakura, you only care about Karin." He observed as they ran after Naruto and Sai's trail.

Suigetsu smiled at him. "We're friends, I was trying to be considerate." He said as he yawned and looked forward. He pulled one of the water bottles off his pants and took a sip of it and then offered it to Sasuke who took it.

"Thanks." Sasuke said taking a long gulp of it. "This is harder than I thought. Mask your chakra, make it weaker, they'll think we're farther away, like we slowed down or stopped." Sasuke told him, thinking his new idea would work better than the last. He handed the water bottle back to him and then watch him attach it to his pants then let out a laugh. "You really are the most interesting person I've come across."

"Yeah I know." Suigetsu said smugly. "I am pretty awesome aren't I? Makes you want to ditch Konoha to associate with me don't it?"

"That offer would be more interesting if I haven't already seen you naked." Sasuke teased smirking at him. _(Note: When Sasuke first summoned Suigetsu, he was naked and came out of the ground, after having being sealed. Sasuke released him and asked Suigetsu to help him)_

Suigetsu laughed at him. "Well I still need to see you naked." He told him looking at him. "But from the way your chest looks, you're great eye candy." he remarked as his chakra was reduced to a safe and seemingly distant level.

Sasuke laughed at him and shook his head. "Thanks, I could say the exact same thing for you." He told him with a slight smirk. And then looked straight forward as they ran. "This is going to suck." He remarked about the fight with Itachi and Kisame.

Suigetsu's thoughts started to wander as they closer to Naruto and Sai. He could lie to himself, but not to Sasuke. It seemed that just because they were closer friends now, that Sasuke could see through his lies and tell his true feelings for Karin. In all honesty, making her mad was one of his hobbies. He had met her once before this, and could tell from that moment that she was worth any and all trouble. Sure, she was a huge pain in the ass, had a shitty attitude, and could be the biggest bitch in the world, but she just made him want her. It was like she could make him do anything. Karin made Suigetsu's hands shake, his throat dry, and his knees shake. He knew she didn't feel the same way, but at the same time. Once Sasuke and Sakura settled down a ways, Karin would give up Sasuke. Either that or she'd try to kill Sakura, but Suigetsu knew Sasuke could kill Karin with one movement of his katana.

He sighed and looked towards Sasuke. He didn't want to be Karin's silver metal because she couldn't have Sasuke. They're good friends and all, but if he killed Sasuke, Karin would want him because he defeated the last Uchiha right?

No! Suigetsu screamed in his mind. He loved Sasuke like a brother. They had grown close despite the way they started and all of team hebi was close. Well.. Most of it. Suigetsu wasn't close with the only person he wanted to. Karin.

He had gotten to know Sasuke really well. They could talk, train, and just relax around one another. They could joke around, drink, and do stupid things that neither of them would tell anyone else about. Like the time Sasuke summoned and killed Manda. That was stupid now that he couldn't use her with Itachi.

Suigetsu honestly respected animals. He wanted one, but he didn't have much time for it. A few days before he and Karin went for a walk on Sasuke's order to get something for them to eat. Suigetsu found this as an opportunity to annoy Karin to no end. He did for the most part, he had done a few things to annoy her, stopped a lot, almost set her on fire twice and then she did something surprising, he recalled. She had stopped when he saw a kitten he wanted. She watched it and said it looked like an Oreo.

Karin hated animals, but she seemed to like this cat. It was sweet, and liked her in return. It rubbed up against her and the man selling it offered it to her, but she refused. This was the cat that Karin had told him she'd get for him for coming with her.

Unsure of how he should feel, Suigetsu felt confused. He was glad he went because Sasuke would have been outnumbered and possibly killed without him keeping Sai occupied in his own fight. He looked over at Sasuke and then looked forward once more. Karin wanted to go see Sasuke only to find him in the arms of another woman.

Although Suigetsu thought Sasuke was gay for a while because he always turned down Karin's advances, Sasuke had proven to be straight when they got drunk and he had talked about Sakura. Suigetsu moved his hands through his ocean blue hair and then closed his eyes and looked away from the path before them. He was worried about her, and more importantly, what _that _guy would do to her... Would he hurt her, kill her, drop her, make Naruto break that worthless promise he had made?

Sasuke broke Suigetsu's train of thoughts and called to him, "Hey Suigetsu." He said, wondering if he was listening and waiting for a response from him.

"Hm?" Suigetsu muttered, hearing Sasuke and acknowledging him. He knew Sasuke would get him there fast. He was just as worried about his girl, and both of them knew Sakura and Karin would die if left in Itachi's or Kisame's hands.

"We're getting closer to them, I think they've slowed down a bit, Naruto has masked his chakra but I can still sense him." He said, sighing and closing his eyes slightly, thinking for a brief second of Sakura's well being and safety before opening his eyes and looking straight forward again.

Suigetsu nodded. "Yeah..." he remarked, trailing off slightly. He was worried about Karin. Not that he'd ever admit it, but hey, someone had to care about her, right? Something was bothering him inside. If Sasuke needed a full four man team to take down Itachi, then he'd need help, and if Itachi and Kisame were together it would take the four of them to kill the threatening Akatsuki duo.

—

Juugo wandered the vast property of team Hebi in search for his teammates. It was strangely quiet, he observed, noticing that Karin and Suigetsu weren't fighting like they usually were before they went to sleep. He smiled slightly. Violence usually trigger his seal to activate itself and possess him to kill. Few people could break him of it. Only two. One was dead and the second was Sasuke; he was the only living person who could calm him down.

He looked around and he wondered where the team had gone. He remembered seeing Sasuke leave after muttering the female name, "Sakura". But other than that, he wondered if Karin and Suigetsu had went after him out of concern.

If they had, he was there by himself. Not that he minded that fact, but still, it was nice to have company with him. He wondered if he was needed at a fight somewhere, or if it was nothing and he just needed to go back to sleep.

Juugo opened his mouth wide and let a huge yawn escape his lips. He looked around and then went back into his room and left the door open slightly to let the hallway light come into the room.

He didn't like the dark. He wasn't afraid of it, he just didn't like it after being placed in it for so long. Orochimaru was a cold man who used his blood to create his curse seal to control the people around him, giving them power that no one should ever have, turning them into what Juugo himself was, a monster.

He was tired from that day. Someone had tried to attack the left of the fortress where he was keeping watch, so he had to fight them off with full force, which activated his own seal and forced him into a rampage, killing the other ninja harshly.

He hated killing in and of itself, but when his seal was activated, he was lustful for blood and would not stop unless he drew it from someone, usually after decided which was a better target, male or female.

Juugo's eyes grew heavy as he laid down. He made up his mind. Should Sasuke need him he'd get in contact with him mentally, and through that, Juugo could find him through the seal. He yawned once more and then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

—

Hinata ran with Yamato. She looked over at the man beside her and started to get worried. Naruto was gone when they woke up, along with the dog that was with them. They had only been given one because there was three of them. She bit the inside of her cheek in worry for her secret crush and all the teams where headed to the center of the woods to find out where Naruto was.

No one could sense his chakra or anyone else's for that matter, and that was making everyone uneasy, including Kakashi. He had sensed Naruto earlier on with another chakra which he had just noticed to be Sai's.

They did have long distance headsets, but only Yamato was on one in team, Hintata-Yamato-Naruto. So therefore, it was a cause of concern. They knew Akatsuki didn't take him from under Yamato's nose, but still, it was a chilling problem that he might be dead.

Hinata believed he was alive, but her worry was far beyond anyone else's because the feelings she held for him was love.

Yamato put his hand to his ear to hear Kakashi's voice say. "About 100 or so yards to the east Yamato and you're in." He came the muffle of Kakashi's uneasy voice.

"A little quicker, Hinata." Yamato said as the two took off into the trees and were beside everyone else in record time.

Kakashi sighed. "Seems that Naruto and Sai have taken off together. My dogs have left their side and have come back to me telling them that they found Sakura with Sasuke... They don't know much else besides the fact that a while after leaving them they picked up a large sample of her blood from a distance, when they returned, blood was everywhere along with the evidence of Chidori and Rasengan. Naruto and Sasuke fought there and I'm guessing Sakura tried to stop them by getting in the way. If they're smart they're headed for the village." All of this, Kakashi had guessed, but he knew his team, and fighting as something the two had always done, and Sakura had tried to stop them like that once before. So her trying it again wasn't all that far fetched.

Kakashi let out a small sigh and closed his eyes. He put his hand up to his face and ran it over it quickly. "The fastest way we can do this is like so. There are now six of us, Yamato, Hinata you go with half of my dogs and go around the short way though the woods leading straight to the Konoha gate. Take minimal stops and treat this as a rescue mission. Akatsuki is close by. The rest of you, with me. We're going after Sakura's blood trail. If any of you should come across Akatsuki, don't fight them unless it's necessary. If you should need to fight them, send one of your dogs to me. Well back you up as soon as we can. Shino and Kiba your mission is like no one else's, this is going to get violent and if necessary we're going to need medical treatment. There's an underground tunnel that connects all the villages to one another. You're taking the dog I gave you, and Akamaru and go back to Konoha as fast as you can, get Ino and any other medical ninja you can find there. Bring them back to me directly and we'll fan them out where necessary. Any questions?" he asked, looking around as everyone had already broken into their teams.

Everyone shook their heads, but Shino; who raised his arm. "Where is this tunnel?" He asked, inquisitively. "I've never seen it before."

Kakashi nodded. "Very few use it, usually only ANBU and highly skilled ninja who know of it. It eliminates everything in the way and can get you there hours before everything else. Watch the signs and look for Konoha's leaf symbol. Follow the right marks and you'll go to the fright place. I'm sure no one in Akatsuki knows of it. Keep it secret. Follow me I'll lead you to the entrance, now everyone else, you have your missions, go!"

They all nodded and took off in different directions, following their own different missions for survival and the hopes and dreams of their friends. They all knew that Naruto would surely die either by Akatsuki's or Sasuke's hands if they didn't tread carefully.

—

Naruto smiled and looked down at Sakura. She was awake once more and healing more of her wound through Sasuke's shirt and belt to avoid any unnecessary blood loss. She was a bit scared for Sasuke's safety, but all the same, she knew he would keep his promise and return to Konoha alive.

He didn't always keep his word, but Sakura knew from the tone of his voice that he had meant it. That he was honest in his vow and would return to her no matter the cost. Sasuke was strong, powerful and the man she had always loved. Because of this, she knew he'd come back to her, and they could be together forever.

Naruto moved some of Sakura's cherry blossom pink hair form her face and looked straight forward again.

"Sakura-baba? Are you sure Sasuke didn't just run off? I don't sense any chakra around us anymore." He said, looking around. "I think he died killing who ever was following us." He said bluntly, forgetting the fact that there were certain things he couldn't say around Naruto and Sakura.

"NO!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke would never go back on his word and I know that Itachi isn't stronger than him anymore!" Naruto said hatefully, glaring at Sai, his chakra flaring and spiking up with anger. "Don't insult Sasuke like that! He may have fan off but he'd never be a coward like that!" Naruto's attention was captured by Sai and he wasn't paying attention to the layout of the woods before him. He didn't even see the trap on the next branch that Itachi had laid before him...

"Naruto!" Sai yelled as the blade swung down as Naruto stepped on the branch. It swung down towards his neck, threatening to behead him.

Blood spattered on the branches below and a figure fell to the ground.

—

A/N: O.O Suika moment! For anyone who doesn't know who that is, it's Karin X Suigetsu; my preferred Karin coupling. Hope that's ok with the Saku/Sasu fans, sharing the table with a bit of Suika fans. Lol I hope you enjoyed it. And please review Reviews make me update faster.


	5. Brother VS Brother A fight to the death

'Turning His Heart...'

**Chapter: **5 'Brother VS Brother - A fight to the death!'

**A/N:** I really got moving with this fanfic, I like it a lot. It's fun to write, a lot of people like it, it makes me laugh at times and I love writing all the same. I hope you all like it. I'm at my dad's house with my laptop, typing away my evil ideas. Hope you enjoy

**There is a story down a bit, I just wanted to answer some comments!**

**Beware! There are spoilers of the Manga and Naruto Shippuuden!**

**Summary: **[SasuSaku Sakura finds Sasuke, and almost convince him to come back. He vows to come back after he kills Itachi. However, Naruto and Sai turn up to kill him under unordinary circumstances. How will Sakura fair in her battle again Karin? How will Sasuke?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, _not _me! However, the plot is mine!

**Dictionary:**

_Mangekyo Sharingan_ - Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye. Itachi's sharingan ability which is acquired by killing your best friend. Is the height of Sharingan, and most powerful from of it. Should Sasuke acquire only 3 Uchiha's will possess the Ability, Itachi and Mandara being the two who have it.

_Katon: Gōokakyūu no Jutsu_ - Fire Style: Fire ball Jutsu! ; The fire attack fo the Uchiha clan.

_Tch _- Fuck.

_Chidori - _The lightning jutsu Kakashi taught Sasuke to beat Gaara.

_Katana _- A Japanese style sword.

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_- Summoning Jutsu, the user is able to call an animal to aid them in battle. In Sasuke's case, they're snakes.

_Chidori Nagashi_- One Thousand Birds Current - Sasuke can emit electricity from all over his body as a shield that stuns those it comes into contact with.

_Tsukuyomi _- Moon Reader. Upon making eye contact with an opponent, Itachi can use Tsukuyomi to transport them to an illusionary world where days amount to mere seconds in the real world. Because Itachi is in control of this world, he can torture an opponent in any way imaginable, leaving them crippled and in a state of mental collapse. He tortured Kakashi for 72 hours which was about 3 seconds n the normal world; leaving him unable to move for a week.

—

**Review Comments:** Sorry this took so long to do!!

_I apologize if I spell any user names wrong!_

**CHAPTER ONE:**

_kohanoharu_: I did kinda make a sequal I turned it into a chapter story! I hope you're enjoying it!

_Heywhat'sthatgunfor_: I did And I'm glad you enjoyed it!

_Kee-chan_: lol yes Sakura will get Sasuke more than Karin, but Karin is one of my fav charries, I don't want her to die. pushes her over to Suigetsu lol. Thanks for the comment!

_Sakuranata_: I did make a sequal I hope you keep up with it!

_MimoriFanForever_: lol Yeah sasuke is complicated. Sasuke: I don't wanna talk.. knocks out

_Gothix29_: I know. Some parts were rather sad 

_xXFallenSakuraXx_: lol, thanks for the comment.

**CHAPTER TWO:**

_Alcius_: Yes Sakura and Sasuke make an awesome Team. I'm glad you agree, too bad it didn't work out that way.

_KunoichiruleALL: _I hope you enjoy the romance in chapters 3 and 4 and will continue to look for the romance in the next chapters!

_Mariegurl_: I do plan on continuing it Thank you for your support!

_Snsteam7_: Sorry I didn't take your advice, but I had the fighting planned out for a while!

_MimoriFanForever_: Glad you enjoyed it And yes, Karin did get what she deserved. Serves her right for being nosy!

**CHAPTER THREE:**

_NorthernLights25_: Yeah I was planning on having someone die, but I'm not sure who I want it to be yet

_CherryBlossoms016_: Yes, sadly Karin has red hair and eyes. I use Wikipedia and absolute Anime, but so far, AA has NOTHING on Karin. I was a bit annoyed to say the least. Hence why I had to make up her attacks and such.

_Hinata101_: Yes I love writing long stories. Glad you enjoyed it!

_Hime-SaMA'sLynx:_ I'm glad you thought it was awesome. I quite enjoy writing it myself

_Kewan Kennedy_: Me too. I was hoping to update sooner, but I got a job 

_Addi-chan_: I've noticed you read a lot of my stories! Thanks so much!! It means a lot to me that people enjoy my writing styles.

: Thanks so much for your comment. I try yo keep interest, build suspense, all of that suff. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

_XxBl4ck-W1ng3d-SakuraxX_: Sorry the update took so long. But I hope you enjoy it and I think you'll be pleasently surprised.

_Sakura-hime9_: I'm glad you enjoyed it Here is the next chapter!

_Dera - chan_: yes Naruto triggered a trap. And I love SuiKa, one of my fav couples because it makes me laugh. They hate one another, yet they don't.

'_ThemidnightEclipse:_ yeah I support Karin/Sasuke, but only because it makes one of my friends mad. It's not that bad and I currently have an Icon of them up on MSN. once again to piss off my friend But it's an ehh couple. But I like Karin with Suigetsu. I have millions of icons so one isn't too bad.

LASTLY! I'd like to thank everyone who has commented. It makes me VERY happy. Now, onward to the story!

—

**.Chapter 4:.**

"Sakura-baba? Are you sure Sasuke didn't just run off? I don't sense any chakra around us anymore." He said, looking around. "I think he died killing who ever was following us." He said bluntly, forgetting the fact that there were certain things he couldn't say around Naruto and Sakura.

"NO!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke would never go back on his word and I know that Itachi isn't stronger than him anymore!" Naruto said hatefully, glaring at Sai, his chakra flaring and spiking up with anger. "Don't insult Sasuke like that! He may have fan off but he'd never be a coward like that!" Naruto's attention was captured by Sai and he wasn't paying attention to the layout of the woods before him. He didn't even see the trap on the next branch that Itachi had laid before him...

"Naruto!" Sai yelled as the blade swung down as Naruto stepped on the branch. It swung down towards his neck, threatening to behead him.

Blood spattered on the branches below and a figure fell to the ground.

**.End Chapter 4:.**

Blue hues widened as they watched a fallen companion fall to the ground with a rough gurgle of blood. "SAI!" Naruto yelped as he put Sakura down in the dying brown grass beside Sai, dropping to his knees and leaning over him. What was that?! What had hit Sai?

Naruto looked up to see a blade swinging sluggishly behind a large tree branch. He looked up at it and saw trickles of blood coming from the blade, falling onto the auburn grass below. Naruto looked back at his fallen ally and then quickly looked at Sakura, who was wide awake and seemed frightened.

Sakura was unable to fight die to her wound to her abdomen. It was in better condition then it was before and she could sit up and move slightly, but her movement was sluggish and if put into a battle she would die of blood loss or other such injury in a short amount of time.

Lying on a spare tree branch high above them was where Sai had put Karin down to keep her unconscious body away from the fight. Her red eyes were closed, and her wild red hair was blowing around her face in the small breeze that was up in the center part of the trees.

His ears heard a response from Sai and he bent down over him. Ready to hear anything he was willing to say. "Sao?" he questioned again, ready to do anything to rescue him.

Sai smiled up at him. "I couldn't let you get hurt." he told him as blood poured from the wound on his stomach. "I wasn't thinking... I'm sorry." he said, sighing and closing his eyes. "I apologize for my recklessness..." he trailed off, trying to stop the bleeding.

Naruto bent down over him and started to help the wound by applying pressure to it. "It will be ok Sai, I promise." He said, starting to sweat from nervousness. "We'll make it back to Konoha soon enough."

"Oh no you won't." Came the cold voice fo Uchiha Itachi. "This is were your path ends. You can't beat us alone, and you'll never make it through the woods, Uzumaki Naruto." His cold voice chilled the air around him, sending chills up Naruto's spine.

Naruto realized that Itachi was right. There was now ay he could defeat two, fully armed, S-rank, Akatsuki members by himself. He looked around to see Kisame emerge with his giant chakra eating sword. He gulped. He needed help.

"Wait! You guys were behind us! How did you get here!?" he yelled, stepping in front of Sakura and Sai protectively. Even if it killed him, he would protect them. Jiraiya had prepared him for this for almost three years. He could hold his own for a while. This explained the chakra presences behind him. It wasn't Akatsuki. It was Sasuke and his friend.

Itachi watched Naruto and then looked out of the corner of his eyes without moving his head, seeing Kisame skillfully move through the woods around the traps as he waited for his cue. Kisame sat in a tree, his sword resting against the tree. Itachi wanted for the beginning of this fight to be between himself and Naruto. He was to tire him out before he let Kisame into the fight. After he was tired, which wouldn't take long, Kisame would come out from behind, stab him a couple times, maybe take off an arm and a leg and then they would go to the demon extraction area to remove kyubi from Naruto.

Itachi, as always had his sharingan activated. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was almost blind with his normal eye sight. Mangekyo Sharingan had taken it's toll on his body and had made him unable to see due to his extensive use of the ability. His red eyes narrowed as he glared at the kyubi before him.

Itachi hated wasting time on fighting. He didn't like causing a big problem or issues. He just wanted to do what he needed to and that was it. He raised his hands to his face and put it over his mouth, "Katon: Gōokakyūu no Jutsu!" he said as fire came from his throat and ignited the trees around Naruto, making him jump back.

He pulled Sakura away from the fire as a tree fell where she had been laying. "Leave them out of this!" He yelled at Itachi. He didn't want Sakura or Sai to get hurt – well... them to get hurt anymore.

Sai was up on an owl he had drawn, and was safe, for the time being anyway. He had quickly drawn a quick bandage and wrapped it around his bare stomach, to try and stop the blood flow. He didn't want to die just yet. He was planning on helping Naruto from the air, using his paintings and drawings to aid Naruto in his fight against one of the last remaining Uchiha's.

Naruto stared at Itachi fixedly. He had fought him before. He could do it and win again, right? He knew his talents, his abilities, somewhat, and from what Kakashi-sensei had said, Itachi had very poor eyesight. He could do this no problem! He just needed a bit of help. He knew how to break genjutsu, and he could get out fo it if need be; he'd done it before, but what he really needed to focus on was not getting stuck in one.

Itachi's lips twisted into a smile as he stepped forward. Naruto's strength was close combat. Itachi's was genjutsu, and unbreakable strength he had possessed for a long time. Ever since he had acquired the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was unbeatable, unmeasured, and completely flawless. At least in his own mind. As long as he had sharingan he could see. And with that, he didn't need to worry about his so called weakness. His vision had become extensively bad, to the point where he was near blind without sharingan because of the extensive use of Mangekyo Sharingan, but it was all a pointless weak point. He could always see. He never once had to reverse sharingan to his normal dull onyx colored eyes because he had enough chakra to keep it up. He made sure of it.

—

Sasuke's coal eyes widened. "They stopped. Itachi must have headed them off." He said, starting to pick up the pace and running even faster. "Hurry up Suigetsu, I'll carry the damn sword if you're tired." He told him, knowing how tired that stupid sword made him. He wasn't used to the weight, which was surprising to him, Suigetsu was strong and could hold in own in a battle, but for some reason was a slow tracker.

Suigetsu sighed. "I got it, that's not the problem... When we get there we'll be exhausted and even if we succeed in killing them, we'll fail in saving Sakura and Karin because we're too damned tired to do anything else.." He said flatly, not knowing what else to say to his rushing companion.

Sasuke looked back at him and away the path of fate he was running on. "I never thought of that. They want Naruto, we can get him and Sai to run. Like I said, I can handle Itachi, and you can handle Kisame." He repeated from an earlier conversation.

"No Sasuke, you're wrong." Suigetsu corrected. "I'm tired from running and aren't running ast 100 percent like they are. We'll loose if he fight them alone and you know it." He scowled. "Naruto and Sai won't be able to run because we'll need their help. Sasuke don't be an idiot and throw everything away! You want to die today!?"

"NO! I'm not going to die!" Sasuke yelled, his almond shaped eyes narrowing at the blue haired ally beside him. "I'm going to beat you with a bottle of water..." he said annoyed. "I know what I'm doing. I can beat Itachi." He proclaimed confidently. He knew he could. He knew it.

"Whatever." Suigetsu said, sighing. He needed help beating Kisame and he knew that fact and he wasn't going to lie about it. "I'll need help." He said, closing his eyes for a brief second before opening them and continuing his pace beside Sasuke. Suigetsu let out a sigh. He knew Karin was in danger, and it was only something he could admit to himself that he cared about her. It was really weird. He liked her, so he acted like a first grader and made fun of her. He called her hundreds of names, insulted her constantly, and had fun doing it. Was it really love or just a crush that could pass?

—

Itachi raised one hand slowly up to his face, and put it over his close, clearing his throat, or so I seemed. He was already casting a genjutsu, and soon enough; Naruto was in it. He looked at Sakura and Sai as Naruto fell to the ground. He had met Sakura once before, but Sai, he had not. He raised a narrow raven colored brow and then noticed Sakura's eyes dive downward.

"Sai don't look into his eyes!" Sakura instructed to her friend who was floating dozens of feet above her. "Be careful... He can capture anyone into powerful illusions. Kakashi-sensei said that not even he could get out."

Sai nodded. "Right I understand!" he said, looking away from Itachi's face and at his chest. He never had to fight like this before, but it wasn't hard for him. He adapted quickly and these type of things were easy for him.

—

Karin's eyes slowly opened. Her head hurt more than anything. She placed a hand on it and then on the branch she was laying on. She was confused. What had happened? Where was she? She looked around and then down and saw Itachi avoiding attacks as Sai and Sakura were attacking him and trying to get him to release his illusion on Naruto.

She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. She put her hand on her face, and noticed her glasses where missing. She gasped slightly. She needed someone to find them for her then. She could never see without them. She put her hand on the branch and felt around, found then. She sighed n relief and then put them back on. She took them off cleaned them and then debated whether to help or not. She sensed Suigetsu and Sasuke coming towards them, but they were a ways away.

She started to gather chakra in her arm to finish off the attack she started with Sakura. She could still have the same amount of attacks; which was five. But if she wanted to could release all the chakra at once, which is what she was going to have to do to weaken Itachi to make it easier for them to hit her. She took off into the woods, stumbling slightly. She didn't want Itachi to see her, and she would be able to sense id he left, but she was sure he wasn't going anywhere.

Karin leaned against a tree, her eyes closed. She gathered more chakra and then her arm started to glow with the power of her chakra. She needed more time to release it all at once however. She wasn't about to die yet. Her head hurt more than any migraine she had ever had, and she wanted to get some praise from Sasuke for helping, so there was nothing wrong with helping them fight Itachi. She kept her red eyes closed and continued to build up her massive amount of chakra.

—

Sakura saw Karin run off and her eyes narrowed. "That bitch!" She yelled, not knowing what she was doing. She just ran off.

Sai rolled his eyes. "Forget about her Sakura, she's worthless... She's hurt anyway, she would have died in this fight, just let her go.." he said, his face starting to get pale from blood loss.

Sakura looked at him. She wanted more than anything to heal her bloody and fallen companion, but she guessed she could have done that before attacking Itachi. She sighed and then looked back at Itachi as he seemed to be torturing Naruto more in the time of no counter attacks.

—

Naruto was inside of Itachi's illusions. He was wondering how in the world he was brought into one, but then he remembered the fact that Itachi had brought his hand to his face, moving all of his fingers. Itachi could cast genjutsu with one finger, never mind five of them.

He had realized he was captured in a genjutsu when all five of the Itachi's around him had turned into crows and flew around him. He used his signature move and struck Naruto hundreds of times with shuriken. The crows continued to caw, as they flew around and about a dozen came together to create Itachi, flying in the sky. He smirked down at Naruto and then watching him.

Naruto put his hands together in an attempt to dissolve the genjutsu. His eyes narrowed and he was in pain form th shuriken. It hurt like a bastard, but there was really nothing he could do about that.

His sapphire blue eyes narrowed in the immense pain he was in and then he looked as Sakura came out form behind a tree and then smiled. "Naru-" She was cut off when Sasuke stabbed her and then shit on her once she hit the ground.

"I never loved you." Was all he said as he started to walk away.

Naruto closed his eyes. No... none of this was real! It looked it, it smelled it, it seemed it, but it wasn't. This was just Itachi's way of getting him to hate Sasuke. But he never would. He believed that Sasuke was like a brother to him, and he would never think any less of him. Naruto had been more of a brother then Itachi would have ever been in ten thousand life times, and Naruto knew it in his heart.

"Na-Naruto..." Sakura said, reaching towards the blonde haired ninja. "Pl-please... Help me.." She said, tears starting to come to her eyes.

Naruto looked at her and closed his eyes again. NO! This wasn't real. Sasuke would never hurt Sakura. He loved her now, and Naruto knew it. Sakura loved him and he loved her. This would never happen. Sasuke would have never injured Sakura. He had never in he past, he had done anything he could to get out of hurting her, which meant he didn't want to, and everyone knew it.

"Naruto!" Came Sasuke's voice, echoing over Sakura. "You weak fool!" he called. "Letting Sakura die like that. You are more like me." he told him, splashing the blood from his blade to Naruto's face. "You loser!" he said, smirking slightly. "You weak loser!"

"NO!" Naruto yelled, in both the illusion and in reality. "Sasuke would never hurt Sakura! I know this isn't real." he said, as he pushed his hands into one another a lot harder, trying to dispel Itachi's illusion. He had do. He'd surely die otherwise.

Sasuke raised his blade and stabbed Naruto through the chest, laughing at him. "You little baka! Did you honestly think you could beat my brother and I. We're the most powerful beings on earth!" He said, stabbing him once more.

Naruto's beryl eyes shot open. It had to be an illusion, Sasuke hated Itachi. He got up and punched Sasuke in the face. "You're the Baka! This is an illusion, a genjutsu I'm not stupid. This is all fake!"

—

Karin finally had enough chakra to channel it into an attack, and then pinpointed Itachi's location. He wasn't moving. She guessed the fight had ended. She smirked and then ran towards him. She vanished and saw Sai attempt to attack him, making him jump backwards. She smirked. She raised her hand and then let Itachi jump backwards, right into the roaring attack. It pieced him, but didn't go all the way through, but it did significant damage and forced him to fall to his knees, almost releasing the illusion.

Itachi turned around and kicked her in the face, knocking her into a tree. A smirk came to his face and he turned on Sakura and Sai. They were both too hurt and banged up from his counterattacks to do much now.

Karin slammed into a tree then slid down it, her bod falling limply. She was once again unconscious, and unmoving.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she looked at Sai, who also looked surprised. Neither of them expected her to help them, btu apparently she ran off to father her chakra, which was smart because Itachi never saw it coming.

—

Itachi was running low on chakra and then blinked a few times and decided to have "Sasuke" finish of the illusion. He needed to get out of there before he ran out of chakra due to the injury Karin had given him.

Naruto fell to his knees, falling to Itachi's invincible Genjutsu. He closed his eyes as his hands were resting on the ground. He was cowering on his hands and knees, his eyes starting to water. He was losing her! He was losing Sakura chan.

Itachi stood over Naruto, his face neutral. He pulled out a kunai and went to stab Naruto in the back, to finish him off with another blow that would pierce his spinal column. He raised his arm to stab him in the back and then a small bit of emotion and pleasure came to his lips as it puled it up. This made the injury worth it. He had acquired the strongest and next to last Jinchuuriki. This would knock him out and make him easier to bring back to the extraction chamber in the Akatsuki base.

A kunai got caught into the one Itachi was holding and knocked it out of his hand and into a tree. Itachi's dark red sharingan eyes where full with rage and hatred as he turned and looked up into the trees and saw Sasuke and Suigetsu.

"Brother..." He said, walking towards Sasuke. "You still lack hatred, loathing, all the necessities to win."

Sasuke jumped down and appeared beside Naruto. He helped him up and then brought him over to Sakura and set him down beside him. "Take him out of the illusion and watch him for me." he said, standing up and glaring at Itachi.

"Are you ready for this?" Sasuke asked, taking a few steps forward. "Because no matter the cost I won't let you beat me this time!" He yelled, narrowing his eyes and getting ready to fight.

Wind blew around and moved Sasuke's raven bangs and Itachi's charcoal hair. Their eyes met, and they glared into one another. A smirk came to Sasuke's face and he nodded.

Sakura leaned over Naruto and released him from the illusion.

Naruto sat up and held onto his chest. "Aw!" He said, closing his hand around the wound.

Sakura finished healing her own wound, so it was nothing but a small cut and large bruise. She started to heal Naruto's wound and then stood up and walked towards Sasuke.

"Stay back, Sakura, this is my fight." Sasuke said, looking behind himself at her. "Now... go help Naruto and Karin." He said, looking back at Itachi.

Itachi raised his hand as Sasuke had his back turned, one finger pointing at him. "This is a lesson I will teach you brother. Never turn your back." he told him, a confident look on his face, other then the neutral and bored one. He opened his closed eyes and looked at Sasuke with his been crimson Sharingan eyes, something he couldn't fight without.

Sasuke's eyes widened. He knew that move, Itachi was creating another Genjutsu, this time for him to fall into. His eyes closed briefly and then opened and looked around. "No..." he muttered almost silently. He knew he and Itachi would fight, but he had half hoped it was going to be a more of a physical altercation.

—

Suigetsu ran over to Karin quickly. Kisame wasn't there and in a way, Suigetsu knew that he and his old mentor could never fight. Suigetsu wanted to be one of the swordsmen when he was small and Kisame admired that dream and would never fight him in a battle to the death, it would be more of a reunion for the two of them. But, at the same time, it would be a horrid one as they watched their partners go at one another in the promise of death.

Suigetsu picked up Karin into his strong arms and then bit his lip in worry. "Karin?" he asked, trying to wake her up by shaking her gently. "Karin!"

Sakura looked over at Suigetsu and whistled to get his attention.

He turned and looked at her, a bit annoyed. What was he a freaking dog? He walked over to her and then bent down. "What?" he asked quietly as Itachi and Sasuke were decided to talk instead of fight in the background, and he didn't want either one of them on his ass at the moment.

Sakura sighed. "What happened? What's wrong with her?" She asked.

Suigetsu almost punched her. "You hit her in the head, baka!" he said, raising his voice slightly out of annoyance.

Sakura nodded. "Right... sorry.." She said, putting her hands over Karin's head and started to heal her. She had stopped with Naruto because he had passed out and had no reason to be healed anymore. He would be awake and ready to go in no time. Sakura knew his unconsciousness was only temporary.

She continued to heal Karin until her red eyes opened and she sat up, shaking her head, sending her red hair all around her face. She blinked a few times and then stared as something; or someone rather, pulled her into a tight embrace. "Karin..." Suigetsu muttered under his breath as he held her. "Are you ok?"

Karin punched him. "I could ask you the very same question" She said, a little annoyed, but a light blush was across her face all the same.

—

Itachi cast his illusion and then smirked at her and closed his eyes, visualizing the illusion in his mind.

Sakura ran around in the darkness of Konoha looking for Sasuke. "Sasuke... Sasuke... Sasuke!" She yelled as loud as she could. Blood was everywhere, blood spattered all over the building. Sound had invaded once more, their goal was to kill Sasuke and everyone else. Orochimaru was dead, but he wasn't the Kage, he had trusted another to the job, and he was the one who was going to avenge the creator of the village.

"Sasuke!" She screamed as loudly as she could. "Sasuke!" She sighed and stopped. He had to be around her some where right? She bit her lip and started to get worried. What if he had been killed? Or worse?!

Sasuke came out from behind a collection of buildings and then jumped over towards her, he smiled, and opened his mouth to call her name when something dressed in a black jumpsuit ran forward passed him and appeared beside Sakura.

She turned suddenly at a noise of something swooping, thinking it was Sasuke. A sword came down on her, cutting her down in front of Sasuke's very eyes. "SAKURA!" He yelled, running over to her and pulling her into his arms. He looked down at her and ran his hands through her soft pink locks and his eyes went wide. She was dying. Her blood was pouring from her body fast, her face was losing color, her eyes starting to diminish in zest and shine, a sure sign of death. Sasuke leaned closer to her. "Sakura?! SAKURA"! He yelled louder then before, starting to turn his voice horse, he was scared, he had no idea what to do.

He suddenly heard crows flying, cawing, and making other noises and he bent over Sakura's shaking frame. He bowed his head and then kissed her cheek. "Sakura! Sakura!" He called. And then once he realized there were crows, his fear faded, and a smile came to his face. The illusion had been cast, and Sasuke's counter attack had started.

He picked his head then started to laugh. "You can't beat me anymore Itachi!" he yelled as he looked up at the sky. "I will beat you!" He stood up, resting Sakura on the ground and then did a quick hand sign, releasing the genjutsu Itachi had created and replacing it with his own, bringing Itachi to the world Orochimaru had been 'taken care of' in.

He smirked at his brother as he stood before him. Sasuke didn't possess theMangekyo Sharingan, but his sharingan was advanced, and whereas he couldn't really beat Itachi in a normal fight before, he defiantly could now. He smirked and then pulled out his sword and started to generate his chakra to kill Itachi. This had gone on long enough, Itachi should be allowed to live a moment longer and Itachi knew it.

—

"Foolish little brother.." Itachi muttered, breaking the bind around his body, which had been a snake, and then dissolving the illusion. He smirked and pointed over at Sakura who was laying limply on the ground, Itachi merely covered in slime from the snake that had been binding him. Sasuke's calm expression was replaced by one of rage and hatred. He had broken the illusion too late, the effects where present on Sakura's body and even though she was mostly healed this wound would kill her for sure this time.

"Tch..." Sasuke said, looking around. He needed to find something to use against his brother. He saw the blood dripping off his cloak and smiled, then looked over towards Karin. He knew she had used the attack that he was famous for. He smirked and then looked back at Itachi. He was at a great disadvantage here. Sasuke had most of his strength, and wasn't badly injured, Itachi had fleeting chakra and was weakening quickly.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. He knew that Sasuke was calculating his odds, his chances of winning. He needed to either get some back up or run. Either way, he knew the fight wouldn't end with one of them surviving this time. It was a kill or be killed fight. He couldn't mess around with Sasuke anymore; not like before.

Itachi took a step or two backwards. He looked to the side to where the trees were, Kisame stood, leaning against a tree. "Kisame-san!" He called to his partner, "help me out here."

Suigetsu stood up and smirked. "Kisame!" He called out to him, looking over at the extremely lean and tall shark resembled man that stepped out of the trees.

Kisame smiled at Suigetsu, but walked over to Itachi all the same. His loyalty now was with Akatsuki, not an old student of his. He did miss Suigetsu. But he knew that there was no way he would be allowed to help him. His loyalty and strength was better spent with Itachi and helping him beat Sasuke.

"Coward..." Sasuke called to Itachi. "Can even fight a battle against your "pathetic little brother" by yourself, ne?" He yelled. "You have no power and you know it. There's no way you can win so by all means! Ask for help from your partner, have him do all the work for you!"

Itachi's red eyes narrowed even more. "Never mind Kisame-san. Sasuke is right. This is a fight just between us." he said, watching his partner stop dead in his tracks.

Kisame respected Itachi more then anyone else in Akatsuki. Sometimes more than Pein. He nodded towards his partner and then stepped backwards, towards Suigetsu slightly. He smirked at the younger boy and noticed the giant sword on his back. He recognized it immediately. Zabuza.

Sasuke stepped towards Itachi as Itachi backed up, trying to come up with his next move. He needed one badly. He didn't have the chakra for another genjutsu, and with all the people around and the strength of Sasuke, it could easily be broken.

Itachi stepped forward towards him, trying to play the bluff. This was coming down to a regular hand to hand: taijutsu fight. He knew it, Sasuke knew it, and almost everyone else knew it as well.

Naruto woke up finally and sat up, rubbing his head clumsily. "Ow.. What happened?" he asked, looking at Sasuke and Itachi. "Itachi!" he yelled, about to get up, but Karin pushed him down.

"No... this fight is between Sasuke and Itachi, not you." Karin told him with a small sigh. "Face it, you have no right and no challenge in this fight anymore. Just stay, watch, and deal with the outcome." She said, looking down at the bleeding Sakura. She hated to do it, but she knew that Sakura saved her life so she had to return the favor. Karin put pressure onto Sakura's waist were the sword had pierced through her and then pushed down with most of her weight.

Karin was slightly surprised. This looked like a wound from Sasuke's katana, not from a normal weapon. What in the world had she slept through? Did Sasuke hurt her or something? Oh well... IT wasn't important now. She looked up at the teal hair colored man beside him.

"Suigetsu!" She called up to him. "Do me a favor, give me your sword." She said, not wanting to be all that nice to Sakura. Sure she saved her life, but Sakura had been the one who hurt her in the first place.

Suigetsu pulled the blade from his back. "You can't hold it..." he said, snarkily. He knew that she probably couldn't. It made him tired carrying it around, but he was starting to become accustomed to it's weight.

Karin rolled her eyes and scoffed at him. She pulled the blade away from him and rested it on Sakura's waist and then sat on ti to stop the bleeding. She didn't rest all her weight on the weapon, but it was enough to stop the bleeding because she didn't have anything to use as a tourniquet and she wasn't about to take off her own shirt for her.

Suigetsu and Kisame started to laugh out of amusement on Karin's actions; whereas Naruto and Sai looked horrified.

Karin looked at the blonde and black haired man and then started back at them. "What? I'm helping!" She said, smirking at them slightly. "I swear... I'm stopping her bleeding." She said, satisfied with the job she was doing.

Meanwhile, Itachi pulled out his katana and ran at his brother, raising the sword, which was absent of Sakura's blood. Sasuke started to generate Chidori in his hand as he went to attack his brother. He wanted him dead. He had sacrificed everything in his life for this moment an now that he had admitted his love for Sakura, he was ready take it all back.

—

Hinata ran along side Yamato and then looked over at him nervously. They were following some of the dogs. They had less then an hour to make it back to Konoha. Kakashi wanted them there as fast as possible, and seeing as they had no headsets, they were at a disadvantage, they had no communication at all. They were prepared for almost anything, but Naruto running off like a dumb ass with Sai was not part of plan, nor what is helping anyone at this moment. It was going to be the death of at least one of them.

Hinata bit her lip lightly as she ran. She landed down on a branch, and brought herself back up to Yamato's level. She sighed and then looked over at him. "Yamato-san? Do you think Naruto-kun will be ok?" She asked, looking over at him, her gaze firm and not timid like it usually was. "Please... Tell me he'll be ok." She said, in a voice, showing her affection for him. She loved him, she'd do anything for him, and that's why had urged a mission to find Sasuke before he had left with Jiraiya.

Yamato chuckled. "You're a very sweet girl Hinata. And I admire that in you, and perhaps Naruto will one day see your affection for him. I will look forward to that day, but in the mean time, please, it will all be fine. I know it." he said, smiling at her sweetly. "Naruto will come back alive; he might be hurt, but he'll be alive. I promise you that."

Hinata blushed at his previous comments and then looked down shyly, her face a tomato color. ""Maybe." She said, smiling at him. "And I know Naruto-kun as well. And he'll come back. You're right. I have absolutely nothing to worry about it!" She said, growing confidence, and running faster. "Now come on. We need to beat Shino and Kiba to Konoha and get that medical team!" She said, smiling at him.

Yamato smiled back and then nodded. "Right!" he said, running faster to keep up with Hinata's sudden boost in confidence. "We'll be the winners in this race!" He said, confidently. "And everyone knows it." he said, chucking once more.

He hated to be so happy at a time like this, but hey, he had to do what he could to keep Hinata smiling and running at top speed.

He looked through the trees as somethign grew hot on their trail. Something small, with almost no chakra. It was exceedingly odd. He had no idea what it was, or what it could be. He wanted to know, but all the same, his specialty wasn't in sight beyond sight. He turned. "Hinata!" he said, calling her attention to behind them.

Hinata looked over at him. She sensed it to, it was faint, but defiantly there. She didn't stop running, but she turned her head to the side, knowing she'd see anything before she ran into it, so she would be fine. She put her hands together.

"Byakugan!" She called as veins appeared on both sides of her eyes, and small stress pupils marks appeared on her eyes. She looked behind them at the odd objects making their way towards them. She was slightly confused. They were thin, almost non-existent, and where flying. Like some kind of insect, and being on a team with Shino, Hinata now knew a lot more about insects then the average person.

"They're... paper.." She said, telling him what she saw and nothing more. "Paper butterflies." She remarked, unsure of how to explain this to him any further. How could she really? They where paper, and the wing-span of a butterfly, and was flying just like one. It even had antenna.

Yamato raised a brow. "That's odd, be on your guard for an attack from any direction. Tread carefully. And be weary." he told her sighing. Just what they needed. Traps to be set all around them. Well this was going to set them back quite a way because they had be cautious of everything around them.

Yamato and Hinata were alert and on their toes, ready for anything that came their way to happen. They were on their toes and ready for any attack, from the skies, or from any direction.

—

Pein moved blue hair from Konan's face. "I love your abilities." he told her in a sweeter voice then he spoke to everyone else.

Konan was his partner, so he treated her better. He had to depend on her and her with him when they went out on missions, which were rare for them because of their strength and the need to supervise all of the goings on in Akatsuki, but either way, her ability was keep, easy to use, and worked effectively. Almost no one ever noticed her butterflies. They looked real despite being fake, and paper white, but no one usually questioned a flash of the eye butterfly.

Konan smiled at him. She could dispel her body into small paper butterflies, like Itachi would do with crows, which was the mark of a genjutsu user, or, she could simply make them and send them to spy. And with Pein's excellent help, she could make everything they haw visible. Akatsuki had massive technology and cameras where almost everywhere. It made Konan shiver. Pein was watching.

She was glad to have her hair moved from her face, for if she moved ti herself, by taking apart her hands, the butterfly would instantly appear beside her once more, losing all the tracking they had already done.

"And I, your's." She responded, with somethign that she considered to be a smile, but was no were near one. Pein and Konan, unlike most of Akatsuki, never showed any emotion.

"Pein-sama." Konan began, addressing her leader with respect. "Why are we following these unimportant people? Shouldn't we be watching Itachi and trying to help him with his fight with Sasuke?" She questioned, not meaning to insult him. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her partner.

Normally, when someone questioned him, Pein would have gotten annoyed, unknown to his expression. Then would have evenly asked, 'Are you questioning my judgement?' But with Konan he knew she would never do such a thing. She had seen his power first hand and was powerful, more powerful then anyone realized.

"Trust me, Konan. You will see why we're watching them soon enough." He told her, in his sweeter voice. "It will all be made clear soon enough." he told her as he watched the monitor that the butterflies had mounted on them. His odd eyes scanned around every monitor ever screen, looking for what he wanted. So far, nothing. Nothing he wanted to see, at least not at this time.

"I, in my own way want a rainstorm to go through the woods." he told Konan simply. He knew all he had to do was mention he wanted something and she would instantly do it for him.

"Leader-sama, the rain will affect my paper targets. Are you sure that's what you wish?" She questioned.

Pein nodded. "I know that. I know their pace by now. I know where they are going and I have seen enough. Bring them back." he said, in his monotonic voice, never raising it above his calm manner of speaking; which was just above a whisper.

"Yes, Leader." She said, calling him that for the first time in a long him. Her hands parted and instantly, in the room appeared about a dozen butterflies.

Pein removed the cameras from each one and then turned towards Konan. "Make my rainstorm. It will put everyone at a bigger disadvantage." He instructing her, not really asking at all. It wasn't his job to ask, it was his job to instruct, demand, and keep Akatsuki in check.

Konan nodded and put her hands together, closing her eyes. The teams weren't too far form their location so it was easy to create a huge rainstorm above them, with thunder lightning and rain. She figured she'd be easy with the rain, at least at first, because she wanted a challenge and she didn't want to drown them.

Rain clouds appeared what seemed to be out of nowhere, and thunder sounded in the sky. Lightning illuminated the suddenly dark sky and then rain started to fall in sheets. So Konan put some push in the rain, but oh well. It would put everyone at a disadvantage, Kakashi, Sasuke, the teams running. Well, in short, everyone except Kisame and Suigetsu.

—

Karin looked up when she felt a few drops on her legs and as soon as her face was upward, the rain came down in heavy sheets. She groaned. She hated being wet. It was a major inconvenience and it messed up her hair. She looked at Suigetsu who seemed to be enjoying. Of course he enjoyed it. His body was made of water; more so than everyone else.

Naruto walked over to Karin and pushed her off the sword and then pulled the heavy blade off and stuck it into the ground. He pulled off his orange and black jacket and then wrapped it around Sakura, using it was a tourniquet. He didn't want to hurt her but he wanted to save her. She was starting to get pale and Naruto was starting to get nervous. What id she died?

—

Kakashi was running on his own at top speed towards the fight. He had Pakkun with him and they were almost there. The scent of blood was heavy, and then suddenly train fell over the silver haired man and then small pug and Pakkun started to loose the many scents due to the rain washing then all away. Kakashi swore under his breath and then ran faster. He had to make ti there in time, sure it was foolish to go alone, but what other choice did he have? When he reached everyone else he could surely help the fight going on.

He in all honesty assumed it was a fight between Sasuke and Naruto to see who was stronger, but judging from the other presences, it wasn't. There were far too many strong chakra signals to be just the raven and blonde haired boys from his team. He sighed behind his navy blue mask and then shook his head.

Pakkun had also alerted him to the fact that Sakura was bleeding heavily, as if she had been stabbed of struck with a large or powerful attack, and Kakashi only hoped that no one else was passing through the tunnels he had sent Kiba and Shino through, because if there were, thy would stop them, and they were defiantly going to need medical support now. With Sakura, the strongest medical ninja of her age down for the count, they would probably need Tsuande herself to rush out there to save them. He was counting on Sakura being able to heal, but whoever was righting was wise to injure her.

"The blood belonged to and Uchiha." Pakkun informed him, breaking Kakashi's train of thought. "Itachi's." He further explained.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Sasuke has found his brother and intends to kill him. We have to make it there before he gets killed." he said, firmly, knowing Pakkun would do nothing to disagree.

Pakkun nodded form the man's shoulder and Kakashi pushed to his feet and they ran off at a faster speed then before. He needed to make it there before someone on his team died. He had already lost everyone on his prior team, he refused to let it happen again.

—

Sasuke jumped backwards. Itachi had gotten hold of his katana and was a very swordsman. He had killed half the Uchiha clan, including their parents using one, so Sasuke knew he had to stand clear of him with it. However, Sasuke's temper was starting to flare. He was so pissed off that Itachi had taken his sword, he was on the verge or somethign restless to get it back, when he realized something. He could _make _Itachi give it back by force.

He wiped blood from his shoulder, were he had been stabbed earlier, and put it on the snake contract onto his left arm and them smirked at Itachi darkly. He pushed chakra down to his feet to keep himself on the ground firmly and then ran over to Itachi and summoned called out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Sasuke summoned Kyodaija, which where the giant snakes Orochimaru had taught him to summon. These were like normal and had no marks of the curse seal. They, for this purpose, were not giant snakes, they were normal sized and did nothing but wrap around Sasuke's katana and pull it from Itachi's hands; bitting him to make him release it. Then returned it back to Sasuke. Once they had served their purpose, they turned to smoke and were gone.

Sasuke was starting to regret killing off Manda in his right with Deidara. Sure, she had unwillingly saved his life, by giving her own, but at the same time, it sucked for him because, of course, he could no longer summon her and use her strength.

Nothing lost nothing gained, however. Sasuke raised to blade towards Itachi and smiled at him tauntingly. Foolish elder brother... He thought as he ran towards him and went to stab him with the blade.

Slowed from being injured by Karin before Sasuke's arrival, Itachi wouldn't completely dodge the attack and his side was cut and a wound started to gush more blood, as the rain washed it away, down into the grass of the once bloody battle field.

Itachi panted slightly. Sharingan was about to give out and he knew without it, he was doomed. Without Sharingan he was so near blind he couldn't see something if it was right in front of him. He would see colors, swirls, but in any decently run place, he was legally blind. And should he lose Sharingan, the fight was lost.

And yet, he refused to let that happen. He didn't want to loose this battle, but at the same time, he was proud of Sasuke. He had finally surpassed him. At least, so it seemed. During the fight he had activated the curse seal on the left side of his body, only using half the seal, which in turn, turned his left eye black and amber.

He started to generate Chidori Nagashi, and as it crept all around his body, Sasuke stabbed Itachi, sending the attack through the sword and into his brother's body.

Itachi cried out for the first time that Sasuke had ever heard and he smiled proudly. He couldn't help the happiness that was creeping through him. He was, finally, able to beat his brother and kick his ass in return for all the pain and suffering Itachi had put him through. He punched him and then looked at Sakura, and punched Itachi, with Chirodri Nagashi still around him.

Itachi's body wasn't stunned, but he lost feeling for several seconds. He punched Sasuke and then jumped away from him as Sasuke's chidori based attack faded away.

Itachi stared at his younger brother. He was indeed proud, and he wasn't going to grovel for his life, not in the least. He smirked slightly. "My foolish younger brother can now defend himself. It makes me proud of what I have turned you into. Sad that you have not yet acquired Mangekyo Sharingan.." Itachi said, standing up, wiping blood from his mouth. "But it won't save you here."

Itachi opened his eyes, and caught Sasuke off guard, pulling him into the same universe were he tortured Kakashi for 72 hours; Tsukuyomi.

Itachi had minimal chakra left, and he needed to finish Sasuke off with this before he ran with Kisame, knowing he would surely die should he stay here and continued to fight Sasuke. He strapped Sasuke to the same cross Kakashi had been attached to so many years before and then pulled out a long katana and smiled at him as he went to kill his brother with the millions of blades that would now be able to end the fight, using the last of Itachi's chakra.

—

Shino was running through the tunnels with Kiba, out of the rain due to the fact that it was under ground. A few places leaked, letting them know it was raining outside and Shino was slightly nervous. She this place flood, both he and Kiba would drown. He doubt it would, but it was just a long tunnel, like a super highway, with symbols of the different villages, leading to what Kakashi claimed was how ANBU moved so quickly between all the villages.

Shino had released some of his insects to scout ahead of them, leading the way so they didn't have to stop and look for the symbol, Shino just had the male insects around him follow the scent of the female one which was about 20 yards ahead fo them.

Kiba was riding on Akamaru's giant back, keeping up with Shino easily. Akamaru had grown substantially and size, and his love for exercise and Kiba he allowed Kiba to ride on his back. He growled slightly when he smelled someone drawing closer to them. Akamaru's muzzle pulled into a snarl and his long and sharp canine teeth became visible.

Shino turned to look at the snarling dog as Akamaru stopped and then bent down. Kiba got off his back and walked over beside him and started to pet him. "Hey Akamaru what's wrong?" he asked, rubbing his back. "Come on boy, we don't have time for this..."

Two ANBU black Ops appeared. One was extremely short and had long black hair, trailing down her back, a shapely body, and a raven-like mask. The other, was much taller than her, had short brown hair, and was lean, and well built under his armor.

They both took off their masks, revealing a beautiful young girl, and a handsome older man. The man stepped forward. "Who goes?" he asked, wondering why normal shinobi were using this tunnel. His eyes were a socking emerald green, reminding Kiba and Shino fo Sakura, and the other girl, resembled no one they knew, but they were defiantly Konoha Shinobi. They could tell from their clothing.

"Please..."Kiba said, standing up straight. "There's a fight between Akatsuki and Konoha Shinobi we have to make it back and get a medical team to bring with us. Slowly, Akamaru stopped growling and left Kiba's side, walking over tot he young girl. He walked over to her and sat down, leaning towards her, his mouth opened...

Kiba started to panic, Akamaru was never violent unless he didn't trust someone, and if he bit her they were screwed. They would insist on a fight and they wouldn't get back in time.

Akamaru licked her hand and then stood up and started to wag his tail. He barked happily then rubbed up against her. He barked again and the young girl smiled and bent down, petting him. He rolled over and she started to scratch his stomach.

Shino and Kiba exchanged looks. And then both let out a sigh of relief.

The man shook his head. "You didn't answer my question..." He said. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "Jin, relax. There part of the Rooky Nine. One of them is an Inuzuka." She said, looking over at Kiba. "And the other is an Aburame." She said, playing with Akamaru still.

"They'll know Sakura if they are part of the Rooky Nine." The green eyed, man, named Jin responded to her, looking at the two of them. "You know Sakura?"

Shino nodded. "She's one of the many involved in the fight with Akatsuki..." he said. "She's with Sasuke, and Kakashi thinks she was hurt. His dogs sensed her blood."

Jin's emerald eyes widened. "I'll kill him..." He said, looking at his partner. "Akiko, you bring them back to Konoha and get them their medical team. I'll go and try to save Sakura."

Akiko giggled, barely listening to him. "Mhm." She said, still playing with Akamaru. "I like this dog." She said, smiling at Kiba. "What's his name?"

"Akamaru." He said, snapping his fingers. "How fast can you get us to Konoha?" He asked, looking at the small girl, wondering her age. She was beautiful, but surely small.

Shino walked over to Kiba and whispered to him. "Close your mouth..." He said in his normal uninterested tone.

Kiba did so and glared at Kiba. "Shut up bug-nerd!" He said as he ran over to Akiko. "We need tog et to Konoha fast, how far is it?" He asked, as Akamaru stood up.

Akiko smiled. "Not far. Jin and I just came from there." She said, smiling at them, and tilting her head to the side. "Jin, you mark the way for me, ok?" She asked, throwing him one of her Kunai. "It's raining, seeing is easier than smelling." She said, turning and starting to run off.

"Follow me, I can get you there in 10 minutes." She said, smiling at them. "Hurry up!"

Kiba smiled at Shino and the three of them ran after her. They caught up in seconds having longer legs then her and then ran at her pace. "How does that guy know Sakura?" Kiba asked, looking behind him.

"They're cousins." She said, looking forward. "And we need to make it back before he gets a hold of Sasuke." She said, looking up at Kiba. "He'll kill him for what he's done to Sakura. Not to mention he's a traitor, loyal to Orochimaru and wanted dead for it." She said, sighing slightly. "I don't think it's right. He killed Orochimaru. He deserves clearance on that charge." She said, shaking her head. "It's stupid." She said, looking forward again. "But I'm too young to change anyone's mind.

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "How old are you then?" he asked, slightly surprised that there was someone in ANBU too young to matter.

Akiko giggled. "I'm 10." She said, making Kiba almost fall.

"Excuse me!?" he asked, running beside her. "How can you only be 10 and in ANBU!?"

Akiko looked over at him again. "Ia graduated the academy at 5, was a chunnin by 6 and in ANBU by 8." She said, smiling at him. "Why is that a bad thing?" She questioned, seeing his shocked expression.

He shook his head. "No.. It's just.. Shocking. What can you do?"

Akiko put her finger to her lips. "Well. I can do some medical ninjutsu. I can do basic healing because my sister taught me. I can do massive transport, I can do hand to hand really good, and I am really fast." She said, looking up at him. "Why?"

"Just wondering.." Kiba answered as he saw light at the end of the tunnel.

Akiko ran forward more and then kicked something open and then ran off into Konoha towards the hospital, Shino and Kiba not too far behind. Akiko went to find Tsuande and told her what she had been told and she gave them a five man medical team, including Ino and then ran back towards the tunnels.

Shino stopped. "You go back with the team and her. I'll go find Hinata and Yamato and have them start heading back as well, got it?" he asked and Kiba nodded but grabbed his arm. "Shino... Be careful." he told his friend and then smiled and took off. "You better get there fast bug nerd!" Kiba yelled, teasing him.

Akiko smiled and ran beside Kiba and Ino. She looked forward. "We need to get out of these catacombs..." She said, biting her lip. "Which village were you near?" She asked. "I can teleport us there."

—

Itachi and Sasuke both awoke seconds later. They both fell to the ground, not moving.

"Sasuke!" Yelled everyone there, except Kisame. Everyone ran over, crowding around Sasuke, and Kisame around Itachi. Kisame bent down and picked up his partner and then ran off quickly, knowing his partner was out of chakra from his final attack against Sasuke.

Karin bent down and put two fingers on Sasuke's neck. "He's..."

—

A/N: Yes! Chapter 5! I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted a bit more fluff, but a few things got in my way. More fluff will come in the next few chapters!!

O.O Some OC characters to help things flow I usually hate OC in stories, but hey, I figured this would use a couple to move it around, and who better to help then a relative?

Jin Is the property of Lina. I just borrowed him for the sake of moving the story along ;

I love this so much. Karin is my favorite person in this chapter actually. (Along with my Shino-kun and Kiba) She got some of her strength back by taking a small nap. That's really dangerous with her head injury, but hey, she used up the last ounce of her strength to do anything to get acknowledged by Sasuke. But it looks to me like she's falling for someone else thought. :o

And please review Reviews make me update faster!

**I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!**


	6. A New Offer

'Turning His Heart...'

**Chapter: **6 ''

**A/N:**

**Beware! There are spoilers of the Manga and Naruto Shippuuden!**

**Summary: **[SasuSaku Sakura finds Sasuke, and almost convince him to come back. He vows to come back after he kills Itachi. However, Naruto and Sai turn up to kill him under unordinary circumstances. How will Sakura fair in her battle again Karin? How will Sasuke?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, _not _me! However, the plot is mine!

**Dictionary:**

_Mahi no justu_: One of the many jutsu's of the Heisha clan. It means Paralysis and stops all movements for a given amount of time, or until the final hand seal, chou, is altered or taken apart.

_Konan:_ The only Female member of Akatsuki. She is the partner of Pein, and is the only one to call him by his name. Ignore my typos in the previous chapter where she called him leader. -.-;

_Pein:_ The Akatsuki Leader.

—

**.Chapter 5:.**

Akiko ran forward more and then kicked something open and then ran off into Konoha towards the hospital, Shino and Kiba not too far behind. Akiko went to find Tsuande and told her what she had been told and she gave them a five man medical team, including Ino and then ran back towards the tunnels.

Shino stopped. "You go back with the team and her. I'll go find Hinata and Yamato and have them start heading back as well, got it?" he asked and Kiba nodded but grabbed his arm.

"Shino... Be careful." he told his friend and then smiled and took off. "You better get there fast bug nerd!" Kiba yelled, teasing him.

Akiko smiled and ran beside Kiba and Ino. She looked forward. "We need to get out of these catacombs..." She said, biting her lip. "Which village were you near?" She asked. "I can teleport us there."

—

Itachi and Sasuke both awoke seconds later. They both fell to the ground, not moving.

"Sasuke!" Yelled everyone there, except Kisame. Everyone ran over, crowding around Sasuke, and Kisame around Itachi. Kisame bent down and picked up his partner and then ran off quickly, knowing his partner was out of chakra from his final attack against Sasuke.

Karin bent down and put two fingers on Sasuke's neck. "He's..."

**.End Chapter 5:.**

"He's not breathing!"Karin said lowly, rolling Sasuke over onto his back and putting her head on his chest. She looked over at everyone else. She wanted to give him CPR, but she knew it was the wrong place and time to let her feelings get in the way. She didn't know how to give someone CPR, nor did she know how these things worked. The only medical ninja among them was unconscious. Of freaking course?!

Karin looked up at Suigetsu helplessly. For the first time, she was starting to wonder what she was seeing in Sasuke.

Suigetsu dropped down beside her and then punched Sasuke in the chest, which made Sasuke cough and then started to pant as he leaned over to the side, far to tired to move. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing.

Sai moved and got to his feet, holding his stomach with his hand drawn tourniquet. "We need to make it back to Konoha before they die." he said, coughing slightly. "Hurry..." he said, closing his eyes, out of exhaustion.

"Come on dickless wonder." he said to Naruto, starting to walk off. "We need to get the hell out of here.." he said, looking down at the still unconscious blonde on the ground. He kicked him and watched Naruto jump up. "Come on you baka! We need to get out of here..." he said, looking at Sakura.

Suigetsu picked up Sasuke and then ran after the bird that Sai was flying on. "Come on Karin." he said, as Karin ran off beside him, and kept up with his pace, watching Sasuke. She was worried about him, and not just because she liked him. He might actually die.. She had never considered that as a possibility... She knew he was strong, and that he killed Orochimaru, a former Akatsuki, and then his brother. She had never even thought about Sasuke getting hurt enough to die.

Sakura was picked up by Naruto who ran beside Suigetsu, giving an occasional glance towards Sasuke every now and then. Sasuke was his best friend and the first person who had acknowledged him. He didn't want him to die, especially killing Itachi.

—

Kiba seemed confused. "We were near... um.. Fuck I can't remember!" he scowled himself aloud. "We were near one of the other five shinobi villages. I don't remember which one, but I know for a fact it wasn't Suna. It was really wet and the air was heavy.." He said, biting his lip. She was in ANBU, she'd know where they were going right?

"Sounds like you where in River country." Akiko said smiling at him. She put her hands together, making her long black hair raise from her back as a light lit up around her. She teleported them about half way there, following Jin's chakra and ran off to catch up with him.

"Follow me!" She said as she took off, able to run long distances like nothing. She slowed down so the medical team could keep up and then looked ahead of them. She could see a long brown haired man not to far in front, gashing trees with the kunai Akiko had given him.

"So tell me something? Why is this such a big deal. I've heard about Akatsuki, but I've never fought them. What's the big deal about this Itachi guy?" she asked, looking up at Kiba, who was now beside her.

"He killed off his entire clan and only left Sasuke alive. That's why Sasuke wants to kill him." he answered as Akiko landed in a tree and then jumped out. Usually Kiba was quite the ladies man and was attracted to anything with a nice rack, and was thin, but with this girl it was different. She was too young for him, but despite that, he wanted her. And he more than wanted her; he _wanted _her. He sighed and then looked forward.

"Focus Kiba!" Ino scolded from the back fo the group, watching him check out the young girl. She knew who Akiko was through Sakura and Tsuande and they had been introduced, and she knew she was too young for Kiba to be looking at her in such a way.

"JIN!" Akiko called out, moving closer to him and smiling slightly. She ran a bit faster and then caught up with him and got him to slow down.

He bit his lip out of a nervous habit and then down at his junior partner. "Do you still sense her?" He asked, looking directly at her, and no one else. "Is she going to be ok?"

Akiko smiled at him. "She'll be fine. You worry about her way too much. Yes I sense her and I know for a fact that she'll live." She said, smirking. "We have the most advanced medical nin team in Konoha, trust me. Sakura will be fine. I promise you that." She said, holding up her hand.

He took it inside his larger one and then put his thumb and pinky against hers and pushed. They're own way of saying team work, good luck, or thanks. In ANBU talking wasn't always allowed so they had their own set of hand signs to signal what different things meant to one another.

—

The rain storm continued to thrive on, slowly turning into a giant storm. Wind blew around everywhere, trees started to fall, the breeze turned into a gust and blew around the water from the streams and ponds, adding to the rain as things started to overflow. A dam broke in River country, flooding the country part and the place where many people lived worked, and made their living. Nothing would be done.

In addition to the dams overflowing and the many problems now facing the prosperous part of the River country, Konoha started to feel the effect as the warm weather created something like a hurricane and sent it out into the woods, headed for both Ame, which was Akatsuki territory, and River.

Sadly, many people started to drown and fall into mud slides, but the deadly hurricane was starting to destroy all in it's path; ripping out trees, destroying any and all villages of small places of settlement that were in it's huge path. It seemed that Pein's desired storm had a purpose. It heading for the border of River, which was directly were Sasuke had fallen unconscious.

—

Pein looked around as he started to observe the destruction his storm was causing. Konan also seemed quite pleased, and was concentrating hard on making it a deadly storm, thinking killing Sasuke and everyone around him was their goal. The storm moved faster towards them, going at top speed, beyond a category five storm.

Konan looked over at Pein. She was wondering how to ask him once more what his goals where, and now to get him to own up to them, but nothing was coming to mind. She needed to find a way to ask him, but how was the question on her mind.

She sighed and then went back to making the storm intense and furious. She needed to kill everyone on Team Hebi and all others with them quickly, including the medical team, and two strong ANBU members following. She had heard fo this Akiko, and as rumor had it, she had amazing power. Many thought she could be the seventh Hokage. She was at that level of skill already at 10. Just a few more years and training and she could pass Tsuande herself in battle.

This worried Konan. She didn't want any competition, so she figured kill the ANBU duo with everyone else. The hurricane would hit them before anyone else; if they continued at the pace they were going at.

Pein looked over at Konan. "You want to ask me why I'm doing all this." he said, using his telepathy to read her mind like he did quite often with all of his fellow Akatsuki members.

"I thought we had a deal that you don't read my mind as long as I..." She trailed off when he held up a hand, telling her to be silent.

"I was just curious to what you were thinking. I won't do it again." he said with honesty. "Now... do you really wish to know what I want all this for?" he questioned.

Konan turned towards him and nodded slowly, wondering if he was just building up her hope to tell her a riddle instead of the truth. She leaned towards him, her hands still in the ino seal. She walked toward shim, half of her chakra still focused on building the storm.

"My goal in all of this is..."

"LEADER!" Kisame interrupted. 'It's Itachi-san... He's not breathing, we need to save him, he just got into a fight with– "

"Sasuke. I know this." Pein remarked. "He's dead Kisame, there is nothing we can do, which is in and of itself a great thing. Konan." he said, to get her attention focused on him and off the dying corpse in Kisame's arms.

"Blow your storm off course." he said, his voice lowering down to a whisper, so Konan had to strain her ears to hear him.

"But Pein!" She objected, annoyed that all her chakra was built up into this for nothing.

"Konan! Don't make me tell you again..." he said, annoyed. "Now... blow it slightly off course. There is no need for it at the current time. You will get your turn, believe me." He said, interlocking his fingers together, in thought. His plan was starting to fall into place.

Konan was annoyed. She wanted to know the truth on what Pein was planning. She simply glared at Kisame and moved her storm South-west to avoid both Ame, and were everyone was on the Ame-River Country border.

—

Kakashi ran faster, sensing chakra coming towards them. He smirked when he noticed Naruto's blonde hair running beside something with blue hair. Slightly confused; he ran towards them and then called out to the blonde member of his team. "Naruto!"

Naruto's deep blue eyes looked around and then caught sight of his sensei. His eyes widened and he jumped in front of him.

"Sasuke and Sakura are hurt... We need to get them to Konoha _right_ now!" He half screamed. "Please Kakashi sensei, there has to be something you can do!"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "I'm already a step ahead of you, I sent Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Yamato back to Konoha to get a medical team, and they should have reached it by now..." He said, looking behind them. "They should be on their way, but the rain might be slowing them down..."

"A giant storm is starting..." Sai interjected, as his birds wings flapped to keep him up in the air. "We need to keep heading for Konoha, if we don't meet up with them, they might die..." Sai said, starting to grow pale from blood loss. He also needed a medic badly, or it would seal the end of his life.

Naruto looked over at him. "Yeah... you need one too Sai.." He said, starting to run off towards Konoha, everyone else running with him. Naruto lead incase a trap came of they got attacked. He continued to hold Sakura.

Suigetsu was running with Sasuke on his back, while Karin held his sword on her back. Neither of them had ever ventured inside of Konoha, but they had heard much about it from Orochimaru. Sighing, Karin looked back at Sasuke once more. She was so worried about him. He needed to survive this, if he died, then the last Uchiha would be gone; therefore ending the bloodline. Forever...

Kakashi looked at the two of them and then leaned towards Naruto. "Who are those two?" He asked, recognizing Suigetsu from somewhere... He knew him. He had seen him at least once before, it had to be from Oto, or with Orochimaru, so Kakashi just brushed it off like nothing.

"I'm not too sure of their names." Naruto said, biting his lip. "Her names begins with a K or a C, but with his, I'm not too sure, I wasn't listening that closely. I was more worried about Sasuke and Itachi..." He said with all honesty.

"Why is something bad about them?" Naruto questioned.

Kakashi shrugged. "I just want to know why they're here, Are they on Akatsuki's side?"

"Well the one with blue hair seemed to know Kisame, but... they were both pretty worried about Sasuke, I think that they're..." Naruto paused, the words burning his throat.

"His _new_ team..." He said with emphasis. He didn't want to believe that Sasuke had replaced Sakura and himself. He didn't want to admit to that reality...

Kakashi looked back at Sasuke's peaceful face, resting on Suigetsu's shoulder. He sighed. Had Sasuke really replaced them all? He looked forward once more and then ducked before his face crashed into a low hanging branch. He looked towards Naruto, while keeping his head facing straight forward.

"Odd though..." He said, sighing. "If he was loyal to Kisame, why is he helping Sasuke now? Is it an act or something?" Kakashi asked him, looking forward.

Naruto shrugged this time. "Who knows... I think he's loyal to Sasuke. If they are on a team, I'm pretty sure Sasuke would only pick people he trusts..."

"I agree." Kakashi responded looking at Sakura. He saw her blood and then sighed. It had already soaked through Naruto's jacket and was dripping all over Naruto's black tank top and the ground every time Naruto kicked off of a tree.

Kakashi moved a bit closer to naruto to look over Sakura's wounds. He was worried about her. Really badly worried. He had almost lost all of his students. Everyone close to him had died, and he didn't want that for this team... His team had died, and he was responsible for this, one he wanted them to survive.

Naruto looked behind him, seeing Sakura's beautiful pink hair. OK... So maybe he hadn't completely gotten over his crush on her, but what else would he really do? He sighed and then ran faster, not wanting to lose her again to something else. He lost her to Sasuke, he wouldn't lose her to death as well.

Sai felt weak and his wounds were starting to grow worse. He sighed and then closed his eyes as his owl flew. He was in so much pain, he felt his strength leaving him with his blood and he had made a tourniquet and through all this efforts, nothing was working. He needed a medical ninja or he was going to die.

Karin moved closer to Suigetsu as they ran, making him look at her and a light pink blush to cross his face due to the fact she was almost on top of him. He raised a brow at her as the blush faded.

"Ka-Karin?" Suigetsu questioned. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, semi desperately, wondering if she was trying to cop a feel.

Karin glared at him. "There's no way we can make it back to Konoha in time, and if this medical team on it's way I would sense them.. I don't think anyone is coming." She said, looking up at him. "I'm telling you something is going on." She said, pointing at Naruto and Kakashi.

"I heard them mention us, and he keeps looking at you." She said, indicating Kakashi. "I'm telling you something isn't right... I know I don't have much chakra left, but I don't need it to sense. I just know that something isn't right... We need to do something and we need to do it now... Oto isn't close, but Ame is... Orochimaru knows Akatsuki, and I met the leader once when I was younger. Orochimaru took me. I think we can get in and they might be able to save Sasuke's life." She said, knowing she was probably wrong about Akaktsuki's generosity.

"Karin Sasuke just killed one of their members, I doubt that they'll help us." He said, bluntly. "I mean.. It's all good in theory, but I doubt any of this will help." he said, looking at Kakashi and glaring slightly.

"But I trust your abilities, and if you say no one is coming then I'll believe you." he said, sighing.

Karin smiled at him and then looked as Sasuke moved slightly. He didn't wake, but his eyes moved under his eyelids and he pushed on Suigetsu's back as if he was trying to get up. She knew they were out of the illusion, but there was still a chance that they were still inside of it.

Suigetsu moved Sasuke's positioning on his back. Sasuke didn't look it but he was incredibly heavy. He sighed. He always ended up carrying something heavy. Most of the time it was his fault. He knew that muscle weighs more than fat; and Sasuke was exceptionally strong.

He looked back at the unconscious teen on his back and then sighed. He was worried. Sasuke and himself had become really good friends, and quite close despite the fact that Suigetsu was jealous of Karin liking Sasuke. He had gotten over it and knew that Karin wasn't interested in him and had gotten over it fairly quickly.

Karin looked over at Suigetsu. He seemed upset about something. She didn't know what was wrong, but she sighed and then looked forward and kept running along.

—

Shino ran through the woods and was looking for Hinata. His insects fanned out around him, and a large group of them returned and told him exactly were Hinata was and how she was heading for him. He took off at a fast pace and then caught sight of her purple hair.

Hinata had seen Shino's insects, and they had landed on her. She was used to them and wasn't worried about them hurting her. When she caught sight of her team mate she smiled and ran over to him; she hugged him and smiled up at him.

"Shino-kun!" She said, happily, looking up at him. It had been a while since they had seen one another and she had missed him.

"Hinata!" He said, slightly flustered that she had hugged him. He adjusted his glasses. "Kiba and I got the medical team... We just need to go and find them and help them out in anyway we can." he said, running off with her and Yamato.

Hinata nodded. "So... were are they?" She asked, looking around. "They would be anywhere? And Where is Kiba-kun?" She asked, starting to get worried about him.

"He went off with one of the ANBU members we met up with to find everyone. Turns out we got more help then we needed. I'm using my insects to find them, they can't be too far by now..." He said, looking behind his dark glasses.

Yamato stepped forward. "Who were the ANBU members?" he asked, knowing almost everyone in ANBU and Roots.

Shino sighed. He was bad with names, and he was never really introduced. "I was never really... well.. Introduced. I just know that one of them was 10 and really small, and the other was fairly older then her and was Sakura's cousin. Jin... I think his name was." He said, scratching his head.

Yamato nodded. "Jin. I know him, but a ten year old in ANBU is absurd, they would never endanger the life of such a young child."

"I'm telling you, she was ten, she admitted to it herself, she even looked young..." Shino said, seeing some of his insects return. He let them crawl on him.

"What?" He asked, quietly... "Damn it!" he said louder. "They're almost half way to Ame by now. There's crossing from River country now... How did they get so far ahead?"

Yamato shrugged. "Who knows, but we need to close the gap between our groups. Now, more running less talking." he said, running at super speed, by sending chakra to his feet and taking off as fast as he could towards Rain Country and Ame.

—

Akiko ran off with Kiba beside her, the medical team not to far behind her. She in Jin were running neck and neck paces ahead of Kiba and Akamaru. They had to go quickly between villages, so this pace had to be quick.

Jin sighed and then looked behind them, then back at his junior partner. "Akiko please... track them, I can't let Sakura die." he said, smirking at her. "You can do anything..."

Akiko looked up at him and then closed her eyes and stopped running, everyone stopped to watch her. She did a few hand signs which were too fast to see with human eyes. She finished her jutsu with the sign of the ram. Her eyes opened.

"There are so many of them.." She said quietly. " Two extras besides the ones Kiba-kun says should be there. A silver haired man with a mask..." She said as they started to run once again.

Kiba nodded. "Yes, that's Kakashi." he said as Akiko changed their course of direction slightly to the north east.

"A blonde boy carrying a pink haired girl..." She added, looking at Kiba to identify them for her.

"That's Naruto and– " Kiba was cut fo by Jin.

"Sakura!" Jin started to look worried. "Is she ok? Will she live?! AKIKO!?" He said loudly, grabbing her shoulders roughly.

Akiko smiled at him. "Jin calm down." She said, taking his hand and running faster. "I love you and you're the best partner ever, but you need to relax a bit." She said, smiling and rubbing the back of his hand.

Jin sighed. "Fine..." he said, letting her go too run straight instead of sideways.

Akiko looked at them. "And then there was a red head running beside a blue haired guy carrying a black haired boy..." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"And I think the black haired guy is Sasuke?" Akiko guessed, looking up at them, knowing she was probably right.

"Sasuke needs to die already..." Jin said, quite annoyed. "Makes Sakura do nothing but cry and then expects to pop back into her life like nothing happened, that's just bullshi– " He saw Akiko and remembered he wasn't allowed by their Leader to swear in front of her. He shook his head and muttered something along the lines of 'Forget it' and continued to run along side his partner as they went through the woods towards were everyone was headed.

Ino groaned. She had met Jin once when they were much younger, and she doubted that he remembered her.

"You just wait and see Jin," Ino said with a smile. "Give it a few hours and I'll have Sasuke-kun eating out of the palm of my hand..." She said happily.

—

Konan had gotten her storm off the path of Sasuke, but that didn't help much because it was heading now for Shino's group along with the medical team, Kiba, and the two ANBU black ops. Interestingly enough, Pein cared nothing about them, despite having them followed by Konan's skills.

Pein got up form his throne and walked over to the window watching the buckets of rain dribble onto the ground like a basketball thundering around a basketball court near the end of the game. Excitement in the air, uncertainty, loss, winning, confusion, the buzzer rings! The game is over... The winner? Pein. and all of Akatsuki – minus one...

But it didn't matter. That one would soon be replaced. Just one test. Test of the mind. A test of the body. A test of the spirt...

That's all that had to be done for this pending member to join Akatsuki. Would they pass? Would they fail? Would they replace what they had destroyed?

He was in a good mood today, not that anyone could tell from the sour look on his face. He was always annoyed. His auburn hair moved as a hand moved through it; his own strong hand. His matching eyes with white outlines scanned the rain. He was wondering what to do, what to think, what to say to Kisame to get him to leave.

"Kisame... Leave Konan and I. I must discuss something privately with her." he said, not looking away from the pouring rain that was falling behind the glass window.

Kisame nodded. "Yes Leader-sama..." he said, walking out of the room. He had left Itachi were his body would be safe. All Akatsuki member's body went to the monster that absorbed the tailed beasts to make it stronger.

Once Kisame was out of earshot; Pein walked over to Konan and moved her hair out of her face because he knew it was bothering her. He looked out at the window again.

"Do you still want to know my goals of all of this?" he asked, smiling at her.

Konan nodded. "I wouldn't have asked you otherwise Pein..." She said slightly flatly and annoyed. "Now tell me, you've put it off long enough." She said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Please." She added in the last part to take away any anger she might have provoked in him. He rarely got mad at her, just because they were too much alike to get mad at one another.

Pein walked back over to his throne, having her follow him, her hands still in the ino seal. He leaned back in his throne as he crossed his fingers over one another.

"It's a simple matter really... This was a test..." he said, in a happier tone.

"A test to see, who was the stronger Akatsuki..."

—

Shino looked up at Yamato, who was almost 40 yards in front of them. He sighed and then ran off a bit faster, Hinata beside him, trying to catch up and make it to the place where he was. He smiled and then caught up to him quickly. According to Byakaugan, and Shino's insects, they were incredibly close to Kiba and everyone with him now.

Shino caught sight of white shaggy fur. "KIBA!" he called out to him, seeing everyone turn. Soon enough, Ino and a medical team came into their view, along with the two ANBU black ops.

Kiba smiled and then looked at them. Team eight had been reunited. He waited for them to catch up and then ran off, keeping up with the two ANBU members.

Akiko blinked a few times. "I sense death..." She said, not meaning to make JIn bolt forward so much faster.

"It's a male presence..." She said, running after him. "A man is dead!"

—

"Kakashi! Naruto!" Kiba bellowed towards them to catch their attention. Smiling, Kakashi turned to see him and the medical team arrive, along with two ANBU black ops. He raised an eyebrow under his forehead protector. What where they doing here?

Akiko walked over to Sakura as Naruto laid her down and overlapped her right hand over her left and a blue light started to glow in her hands as she started to heal Sakura. She closed her eyes and started to focus all of her energy on healing her.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the small girl above her. She scrambled away out of fear and then felt something pull her into a deep embrace. She looked and saw shaggy unkept brown hair and smiled. "Hey Jin." she said, seeing his skater boy hair.

He held onto her tightly as the rest of the medical team started to look over everyone else. Everyone else was fine and Karin's head was fully healed, as was all of Naruto's and Sai's wounds were being addressed at that moment.

Smiling slightly, Sakura ran over to SAsuke. She had no chakra to heal him, btu she was overseeing Ino heal him to make sure her hands weren't wandering to places they shouldn't be touching. She leaned over him and touched his face, seeing his onyx eyes opened and look up at her.

"Sakura..." he said quietly, putting his hand on her cheek and sitting up as Sakura healed him.

Karin ran over to him, away from her doctor and then smiled. "Sasuke-kun!" She said happily, leaning over him.

"Suigetsu!" Sasuke said, taking Sakura's hand.

Suigetsu laughed and walked over and picking up Karin, throwing her over his shoulder, walking off with her in his arms.

Karin struggled. "Suigetsu you dumb bastard, put me the hell down before I kick your ass into the next century.." She said, hitting him in the face. "RIGHT NOW!" She demanded.

Sakura smiled up at Sasuke and he sat up, holding his chest, as Ino gave up trying to heal him. She stared for a moment, in shock and then the thing that no one expected happened.

Sasuke leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Thank you..." He said, smiling at her. "Really... Without you, I would have lost that fight." He said, holding her hand, stroking it with his thumb.

Everyone, including Karin, who had been put down; stood there in complete shock. _NO one _had ever expected SAsuke to do such a thing, and in front of all these people, one on which being Sakura's over bearing, over protective cousin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and then looked around at everyone else. "Is there any particular reason you're all staring at me?" He questioned.

Everyone went back to what they were doing, except Karin, who was speechless. She raised a hand to yell something, but Suigetsu pulled her away. "Come on Karin, let's go for a walk..." He said, smiling at Sasuke, as if to say, 'You owe me.'

Naruto ran over to Sasuke, and surprisingly hugged him. "Oh SAsuke!" he said, sighing. "I never expected you to come back to us!" he said, smiling at him.

"Please... Say you'll come back to Konoha!" Naruto asked.

Sasuke laughed. "Of course I am..." he said, running his hand Sakura's hair. "I have something to go back for now.." He said, kissing her cheek and then standing up, falling back to his knees - out of the pain in his body.

Naruto smirked. "Speaking of you in pain... What happened? How did you beat Itachi?!" He asked, grabbing his shoulders.

"You both just passed out and that was it. Come on spill, how did you do it?" Naruto pleaded.

Sasuke laughed. "You want me to tell you then?" he asked as Naruto nodded adamantly.

"Well it was really easy. Itachi's sharingan has a flaw, a major flaw. The more you use Mangekyo Sharigan has a flaw. The more you use it, the worse your eyesight gets. Itachi has used it so much he's near blind. He can't see once he runs out of chakra." He said, smirking.

Naruto leaned towards Sasuke. "Wait.. So Itachi was blind?" he asked, rather stupidly.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes... Without sharingan, Itachi couldn't see at all. All I had to do was replace myself with a shadow clone when he wasn't looking. When I was brought into the illusion, I created a clone, and instead of him torching me, I tortured him..." He said happily. "It was really easy and I'm so glad Itachi was almost blind because I would have died if he didn't use Sharingan so much."

—

Akiko's head bolted up, as did Karin's, "Something is coming towards us!" they both echoed in unison.

Karin looked at the small girl and was a bit surprised to see the small child smile back at her. She smiled back slightly, which was something she rarely did, but Akiko was so cute, she couldn't help it.

She walked over to Suigetsu, and handed him back his sword.

"Jin!" Akiko said, pulling him away from Sasuke as he was about to strangle him for kissing Sakura.

"Come on, we need to check this out. You guys stay here and watch them. We can handle this our selves." She said, running off, dragging him along with her.

—

Jin and Akiko took off into the woods, Akiko leading him towards the mysterious intruder that was coming towards them. Akiko's almond shaped brown eyes scanned around, trying to see if anyone else was around them, and were masking their chakra.

She finally caught sighed of who was coming towards them and she ran abit faster and tehn slid to a stop before them.

She went after the person approaching and then stared at a beautiful, young, blue haired woman. Akiko looked at Jin, who didn't know who she was at first glance.

"Who are you?" Akiko asked, tilting her head to the side, wondering if this woman could be trusted. Judging from the Akatsuki clothing, she guessed not.

"Konan..." She said in a slow and even tone, wondering if Jin would know who she was, besides an Akatsuki member. She stepped forward a few steps.

"Tell me something..." Konan said in yet another even tone, a dark expression coming to her thin and pale face.

"What?" Jin asked, pushing Akiko backwards, knowing who this woman was. The partner of the Akatsuki leader, and one of the strongest members. He looked down at Akiko and gave her a sign to run, but she held her ground and stood still. She refused to run away and leave Jin by himself. She backed up slightly, to give him some room incase he decided to attack, but other than that, she stood strong.

"Tell me where Sasuke is." She said, looking down at her cloak and brushing off some dried mud.

"Now..." She said darkly, fiddling with her ring. She was in a fairly good mood, and that meant that she'd be a much better fighter. The storm had stopped for the most part, and Pein was now sustaining the sheets of heavy rain that was still falling. It had a certain perimeter, and if they left the area of the storm, they would be safe, but as long as they were in the storm, Akatsuki controlled it, and anyone caught in it was caught in a the mercy of the storm.

Akiko stepped forward. "She's one with this storm..." She said, familiar with a presence like hers. She stepped forward a bit and then looked up at Jin.

"Be careful." She warned as she pulled out the long sword on her back, the blade seemed to be much heavier then she could handle, when in fact it was quiet light weight. She raised the blade towards Konan.

"You will not get any closer to Sasuke!" Akiko told her with a harsh determination. She had to protect them. He was a Konoha nin, even if he had become a missing nin, and because she was in ANBU, it was her job to protect those around her. She leaned forward and then got ready incase Konan came at her.

Konan vanished and then appeared behind Jin and Akiko and punched Jin in the face, making him fall to the ground. She walked forward towards Akiko; who dropped her sword into the ground and put her hands together, in an odd seal Konan had never seen.

"Mahi no jutsu!" the small girl shouted as Konan's whole body stopped moving. Konan had to admit, she was impressed, but she now knew the clan this small girl belonged to._ (Note: Mahi means paralysis) _

"Heisha..." Konan simply stated. "I knew I recognized those hand signs. You're clan is well known for all-powerful jutsus; however, nothing can help you in a fight against me." She said, breaking the paralysis that had over taken her body.

Akiko's eyes widened. No one had ever gotten through one of her justu's before. She jumped backwards as thunder started to rumble in the sky. Akiko started to get nervous. Maybe she couldn't beat her... Maybe... this girl was stronger then her because she was far older and had more experience.

Konan smirked. This girl was too small. Sure she was a part of one of the most powerful clans there was, but none the less, the wasn't as strong a some of her other siblings. Her twin sisters where rumored to be the legendary 1,000 year twins. A set of twins born every 1,000 years who had unspeakable powers.

"I won't run away..." Akiko said, stepping towards her. "I swear to you, I'm not as weak as I look.." Akiko took a few steps forward and then smirked. "I will be a opponent worth your time..." She said, pulling her sword from the dirt.

—

Sasuke leaned into Sakura. They were alone in a small cluster of trees so they could speak privately, and they needed it after all that had happened between them and everyone else around them. He looked into her thin, caring, and determined emerald eyes and then smiled at her.

"Sakura..." he said, not knowing what else to really come back with. Sure he loved her, and it had taken him this long to realize it, but... What could he do now? What could he say?

"Arigato..." He said, smiling at her, quoting himself with the last thing he had said to her before he had left.

Sakura's eyes welled up with tears and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Oh Sasuke-kun!" She rejoiced. She was in a better mood now. Itachi was dead, Sasuke was coming back to Konoha to be with her... Sure... He was hurt, but he was alive, and right now - that's all she could ask of him.

Sasuke's arms wrapped around her in turn and he smirked and closed his eyes as he held her. He was finally at peace, and happy to hear his own name be called by someone else. He smirked and then kissed her cheek as he rested his head in the curve of her neck, smelling her smooth pink hair.

Sakura was hot, sweaty, tired, covered in blood, hurt, dirty, her cloths were ripped and tattered, but all the same, Sasuke thought she looked beautiful. He could careless what she looked like, what other people thought of her, what anyone would say to him about her, or anything of the sort. He wanted to be with her. He loved her more than anything now, and it would stay that way for as long as both of them should live.

"When we get back to Konoha... You do realize that they won't be welcoming me back?" Sasuke asked. "They will most likely label me as a traitor and a loyal subordinate of Orochimaru..." He said, sighing slightly. It sucked, but it was true. He didn't care what others thought of him, he just wanted Sakura to know what she was getting herself into. He had never worried about what people thought, but he lived around it for years. The only survivor, his dead family, girls crowding around him, parents and others with their pity. He was always the source of gossip.

Sakura shook her head. "Almost everyone knows you've killed him Sasuke-kun... Really..." She said, kissing his forehead. "I love you.. I want to be with you." She told him with a slight amount of force, not backing down from what she always wanted.

Sasuke smiled at her and then kissed her forehead. He loved her more than anything. He knew she was telling the truth, Suigetsu had been having people spread the word about him killing him. He could careless, and Suigetsu had admitted to making him look bad, but that was before they were friends, now Suigetsu was loyal to him.

**She's so sweet... (Sasuke in bold)**

_He's so worried about me... (Sakura in italics)_

**I love her so much...**

_He really loves me..._

**I'd die for her...**

_I love him more than anything..._

**I want her to be happy...**

_I want him to be as happy as I can make him..._

**I want to restore my clan with her...**

_I want to help him restore what Itachi took away..._

**Will she say yes?**

_Does he want me to?_

**How do I ask her?**

_What if he just wants me to be his girlfriend!?_

**Why the hell is this so hard?!**

_Not his wife?!_

**I want her to ask her to...**

_Sasuke... what are you thinking?_

Karin walked over to them and then bit her lip. She knew Sasuke would get mad if she did or said something, so she was just watching. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous... She didn't want _this_ girl to be with Sasuke. **She** wanted to be with Sasuke... No the stupid blonde fan girl. Herself, not Sakura, and not Ino.

Sakura bit her lip. "They've been gone for a long time, think we should go after them?" She asked Sasuke looking at him and then seeing him try to stand, but was too injured to do so.

Sasuke sighed and then got up and walked over to Sakura and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned on her to stay standing up.

"Let's go and find your cousin." He said, smirking slightly. "I want to help you. He's part of my family too, right?" He asked.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks Sasuke-kun..." She said, walking off with him slowly.

—

"Jin!" AKiko yelled as she pushed him out of the way of the giant bold of lightnign that came down fomr the charcoal colored sky, hitting her directly in the back, piercing through her, and knocking her to the ground, making her hold her stomach, curling up into a fetal position. She closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side as her eyes started to water. She would do anything for Jin. He was her best friend, and her partner.

"Fuck!" Jin yelled grabbing her wrist, pulling the small girl into his lap. "Akiko!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Come on Akiko talk to me!" He pleaded.

Konan seemed pleased and the look on her face seemed to be something that most people would consider a scowl, but Pein knew it to be a smug look; inside she was laughing.

"Don't worry Jin. You will soon be joining her." Konan said, looking towards the camera were Pein was watching her, as if she could see him and read his movements. She was in an even better mood now. He was pleased with her and she knew it.

Akiko coughed up a bit of blood and then looked up at the concerned face of the man who's lap she was resting. She seemed quiet, like she usually was, a bit timid, shy and even slightly concerned for his life. She was quite worried about Jin's injuries despite her own harsh ones.

"Let me heal you." She said, reaching up towards him, her hands started to glow a bluish color.

Jin shook his head and put her hands on her own stomach. "Heal yourself... You'll die if you don't." he said, placing her on the ground and stepping towards Konan who had the full advantage. It was no longer two against one, it was one on one, and in these odds, Jin knew he would surely die. No one had ever been able to defeat an Akatsuki single handed and live to tell the tale. Or so he thought... _(Note: Shikamaru killed Hidan by himself)_

—

Karin lead the way to the two increasingly powerful chakra. She sighed. "There are three of them. One is down, the other two are fighting..." She said, looking back at Sasuke, who was leaning on Sakura still. She was vengeful, and wanted to kill Sakura, but she could poison her later - like when Sasuke wasn't around.

Sasuke nodded. "The girl is probably down. Who are they fighting?" He asked, looking forward and then at Sakura, knowing she was concerned for her cousin.

"Um..." Karin closed her eyes and then put to fingers up, concentrating. She was thinking hard, trying to see the fight.

"She's an Akatsuki..." Karin began, as picture started to form in her mind. "She has blue hair, with some kind of flower in it." She informed Sasuke and everyone else around them.

Karin opened her eyes and then looked at Suigetsu who was right beside her for some reason. She _could_ have said that the girl wasn't laying down, the guy was. What else was new... Was all she could think. Men think they ruled the world, but woman were always saving their asses. Case in point, four of the five medical ninja were female.

Sasuke nodded and then looked forward. "I didn't know Akatsuki accepted woman." He said, looking forward. "She probably wants revenge for Itachi's death." He said sighing. He knew he couldn't fight in his current condition. He had no chakra and was completely exhausted.

—

Sasuke entered the clearing with everyone else in front of him. They were protecting him. All of them knew him, liked him in some way and wanted to protect him.

Konan turned her head, and saw Sasuke through everyone else because he was taller than everyone. She turned away from Akiko and raised her right hand. A bolt lightning came down and struck Akiko a second time and made her fall to her knees.

"Once again, you attempt to heal yourself, you will only worsen the wound." Konan's eyes fixed on Sasuke's body as she walked towards him, not in an offensive position, but a defensive one. She didn't want to fight him even though she knew he would lose this battle.

Sasuke stood up and stopped relying on Sakura to hold him up. He walked forward slight, as Suigetsu watched him to make sure he didn't fall down and was standing beside him incase he needed to be caught.

Konan raised her hand as Sasuke walked towards her. She looked dead into Sasuke's onyx eyes and cracked her neck. She looked up at the sky and then the camera were they were being watched.

The rain was lighten and then stopped. The sun didn't come up but the wind picked up and started to blow around everyone's cloths, making all the girl's bodies illuminate in goose bumps from the minimal amount of cloths they were wearing.

Konan's lips pulled slightly, her own form of a smile. She heard Pein's voice echo in her mind, and she knew why he had her move her storm now. She put her hands back into a speeded seal and then looked up at them. The storm bolted away from River Country and practically appeared above them. Sasuke was in the eye of the storm with Konan, bringing no harm to the two of them.

Everyone else however, was pulling into the heavy winds of the hurricane and thrown out into different parts of the woods. They all landed in pairs, or close to it. IN groups of approximately two or so, they all stood up, looking at the partner they had to survive the storm with.

Karin crashed into a tree and then fell out of it and slammed onto the ground. She held her side and pulled a branch out of it, watching her blood drip down her purple shirt. She groaned in pain and then heard another female voce whine in pain. She looked over and saw the last person she wanted to see. Haruno Sakura...

Everyone else also crashed into pairing they didn't quite enjoy. Sai was with Suigetsu, Shino was stuck with loud mouth Ino, Kiba was with Akiko - someone he barely knew and was hurt, Jin fell with Naruto, Kakashi with Hinata, and Yamato was by himself.

—

"Sakura!" Sasuke screamed as he saw her fly off, but was too injured to run for her. He was lucky he was even standing.

"Uchiha Sasuke..." She said, smirking at him darkly.

"Pein has been watching you for some time now, and he, as well as the man that he is taking orders from wants one thing from you." She said, walking towards him, her hand still in her seal.

"You have passed his test. You killed Itachi. He wants you to replace him. Become the newest member. Uchiha Sasuke. This is a formal invitation. _**Join**_ Akatsuki!"\

—

**A/n: **Hope you enjoyed it Don't forget to review, and I really like how interesting this story is getting. YES there will be more Sasu/Saku fluff in upcoming chapters.

But.. WHAT will Sasuke choose? Who will he choose? What will he do? Sakura VS Akatsuki?


End file.
